Fund Is Established for Injured Couple

It’s been 10 days since the accident and 58-year-old Julian Marcial remains comatose in critical condition at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. Several miles across town, his 50-year-old wife, Ofelia, remains in serious condition at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, able to communicate only through the barest squeeze of her hand.

The Reseda couple were returning from a Palmdale baseball tournament on May 27 when their truck overturned on the San Diego Freeway near Roscoe Boulevard, ejecting them both. The circumstances of the near-fatal accident remain a mystery but some speculate that Julian may have lost control of the vehicle.

Since then, the family has waited--and prayed.

“We’re terrified,” said Rachel Marcial, one of six children. “We’re hoping that everything’s going to come out OK.” Adding to their anxiety is the fact that their parents are uninsured and facing a long and difficult recovery.

“This week has been hard,” admitted daughter-in-law Margarita Marcial, “but we’re hopeful.”

Their mother’s slow progress is encouraging, they say, as is the support of First United Methodist Church of Reseda, where Julian works as a caretaker, and the efforts of longtime friend Terese Crow, who helped created a trust fund for donations.

In addition to the fund, staff members at the Mid-Valley PONY baseball league where Crow once volunteered are planning a series of benefits over the next several months to collect money for the Marcials’ care. On Saturday, they will hold a pancake breakfast from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the sports complex, situated at Oxnard Street and Louise Avenue in Encino.

Donations may be made to the Ofelia & Julian Marcial Trust, 19237 Itasca St., Northridge 91324.