Latin American Community Helps Lidiane Carmo

Latin American community members recently gathered at  in Marietta to raise funds for 15-year-old Lidiane Carmo of Kennesaw, a student who was injured in

Saturday's event was organized by friends and classmates of the Brazil native with the help of 105.3 El Patron, and was documented in a photo gallery and video posted by the popular Spanish radio station. Photos show community members donating money and buying grilled corn on the cob, fried snacks and other foods to support Lidiane.

In the video, which is in Spanish, Sprayberry student and fundraiser organizer Soledad Fuentes says she learned about the crash that killed her friend while browsing Facebook. The chain-reaction wreck caused by fog and smoke from a brush fire along I-75 killed 11 people, including Lidiane's father, Ingreja Internacional da Restauracao pastor ; mother, Adriana; and sister, Sprayberry junior Leticia.

Another classmate and friend of Lidiane, Alejandra Fuentes, told El Patron radio host "El Primo Migue" that she "thanked God" the radio station responded to her letter which asked for help in spreading word about the fundraiser. In addition to Lidiane's medical bills, an estimated $40,000 is needed to send the bodies of her family members to their native Brazil for funerals and burials.

"We are helping the family because we have to put ourselves in their place. We're sad, and we want to help (Lidiane), especially because she doesn't have her family," Fuentes said. She asked the community to give what little they could to help the teen.

"The Hispanic community is here for her," she said.

A Guatemala native named Efren who donated money said a member of his own community recently died in an accident. "If we can help each other, what more can we ask of life?" he said.

News of the wreck has resonated throughout the local community. Hundreds of Sprayberry High students gathered at for Leticia Carmo and her family, and the school

Lidiane, who has spent most of her life in the United States but is living here on an expired visa, will not face deportation, according to immigration officials.

The teen will remain hospitalized for at least three more weeks in Gainesville, FL where she is recuperating from internal bleeding, a broken arm and two broken ribs, reported Reuters on Tuesday. She is expected to move back to Cobb County where she will live with an uncle.

To help Lidiane, you can donate directly to the Carmo Family Funeral Fund at any

Stay updated on local news and events by subscribing to the free Northeast Cobb Patch Newsletter. "Like" the Northeast Cobb Patch Facebook page. Follow Northeast Cobb Patch Twitter.