MIAMI – A Cuban dissident who fights for human rights in Havana is recovering at a South Florida hospital after she was struck by two cars Friday while waiting for a bus.
Damaris Moya came to the U.S. to learn about democracy, but her trip was ruined when her legs were crushed by two cars.
"It's hard to see her this way, but what can we do?" Moya's friend Diana Mendez Junquera said.
According to Mendez Junquera, Moya has endured a tough life in Cuba.
While protesting against the Cuban government, Moya's friend said the former political prisoners has been beaten and raped. Her mother and two young children have also allegedly received threats from the government.
Moya arrived in the U.S. in January and traveled to Tallahassee and Washington D.C. to learn about the democratic process.
But on Friday, just a few days before heading back, she was critically injured.
Police said Moya was sitting at a bus stop at Southwest 22nd Avenue and Sixth Street in Miami-Dade County when she was hit by two cars.
Police said the drivers stayed on scene, but Moya's injuries are severe from her knees down to her ankles. She's already had three surgeries
Mendez Junquera has set up a GoFundMe page for her friend, hoping to help with the medical costs.
She said Moya has always been a fighter and knows even something as severe as this won't slow her down.