Paramus Bus Crash Victim's Long Road To Recovery

PARAMUS, NJ — Sofia Evelich takes it one day at a time. She went from being in a coma, to celebrating her birthday at her favorite restaurant following a miraculous recovery.

The borough 12-year-old and East Brook Middle School student was on the school bus that was T-boned by a dump truck May 17 on Interstate 80. The crash killed a classmate and a teacher and injured dozens of fifth-graders and teachers.

The entire right side of Evelich's body was paralyzed. She was in a medically-induced coma for about a week following the crash. She had two seizures after she woke up. The retina in her left eye was also damaged.

But then, little by little, she started getting better. She moved her fingers, then her hand and arm. On the day she left the hospital, she wanted to get out of bed herself, and she did. She was at Children's Specialist Inpatient Hospital in New Brunswick for two months following the crash. She then went to Blythedale Children's Hospital in New York for therapy. Now she goes to Valley Hospital in Paramus for therapy.

"My daughter is not who she was before," Evelich's mom Marta said. "It's a miracle she is as well as she is considering where she was."

Evelich has had to relearn how to talk, walk, tell time, and perform basic tasks. She was a "flyer" on her cheerleading squad before the accident. She will never be a "flyer" again, but she has started cheering again.

At first, following the crash she could only say "then" and "after." Now she is speaking in complete sentences. She has returned to school, but is a little behind in her reading and writing. She attends occupational therapy three times a week and works one-on-one with someone at school.

"She is doing major recovery," Marta Evelich said. "She's always in great spirits and always has a smile on her face."

Evelich's 12th birthday was last week. Her favorite place to eat is Playa Bowls and she wanted to have a birthday party there. Playa Bowls normally does not host birthday parties. But they made an exception in Evelich's case.

"After hearing of Sofia's story, I was honored she asked to host her birthday at Playa Bowls," said Abby Taylor, Playa Bowls' co-founder. "She is such a special girl, and I knew I just needed to see the smile on her face. It was inspiring to meet her."

Marta Evelich was appreciative of Playa Bowls making the special event happen.

"It was such a blessing to go. We're so thankful they could make it happen. She had a big smile on her face the entire time," she said. "It was incredible to see."

Read More Patch Reporting

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• Murphy Signs School Bus Seat Belt Legislation Into Law
• School Bus Driver In Fatal NJ Crash Is Innocent, Lawyer Says
• Paramus Officials Unaware Of Bus Driver's Record: Superintendent
• Why Was Elderly Man With 14 Suspensions Driving Doomed NJ Bus?
• Hundreds Mourn Student,Teacher Killed In Paramus School Bus Crash
• 2 Killed, 43 Injured In Rt. 80 School Bus Crash

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Image: Sofia Evelich, left, Playa Bowls' co-founder Abby Taylor at a birthday party at the Playa Bowls' Ridgewood restaurant. (Courtesy of Playa Bowls)