Routine school fire drill ended with beloved teacher, 80, having leg amputated... and even worse was to follow
An elderly Texas teacher had her leg amputated and ultimately died after tripping during a school fire drill. Evangeline Riojas, who worked as a San Antonio educator for more than 50 years, was holding a child's hand while guiding them outside for the drill at Passmore Elementary School in August 2024. The 80-year-old suddenly lost her balance and plummeted to the ground. The agonizing fall left her unable to move - her shattered leg was covered in blood.'She kind of twisted and landed everything on her knee, which in turn broke her femur and broke part of her kneecap,' her heartbroken son Chris Riojas told KSAT. The elderly woman fought hard to recover, undergoing more than a dozen grueling surgeries and bearing the pain of her severe injuries. But an infection in her leg left her doctors with no choice but to amputate it. And even after that procedure, Chris said his mother was eager to get back into the classroom. 'She was saying, ‘Let me, let me go ‘til the end of ... until Christmas so that I can see the kids and tell them I’m leaving,' he told KSAT. Evangeline Riojas had her leg amputated and ultimately died after tripping during a school fire drill The beloved teacher passed away on March 6 after her family took her off the respirator 'And then I’ll retire going into the spring.'Unfortunately, Evangeline was never able to go back to school. She spent months in the hospital and at a rehab center after her leg was removed before she passed away on March 6. It is unclear what her exact cause of death was. 'The world lost a beautiful soul last night,' Chris announced on Facebook. He had previously noted she was taken off of her respirator the night before she died. Despite being a devoted teacher for the Northside Independent School District (NSID) in San Antonio for her entire career, Chris expressed frustration with district administrators.He accused them of turning their backs on his mother while she was in desperate need of support. In a February open letter addressed to John Craft, the NSID superintendant, Chris outlined his concerns.'I have watched her work countless hours and weekends shopping for festivals and generally doing anything to benefit the children. Underpaid & overworked!'He claimed that after being injured on the job, she suffered not only extensive injuries that led to her death, but a 30 percent pay cut. Chris claimed the school district was no looking out for his mother during her times of need 'And, she has not even received a card, a flower arrangement, a phone call, or even a short hand written note from central office,' he wrote.'Her school had been wonderful checking on her and coming to visit, but no acknowledgment from the central office at all. I am very disappointed in NISD’s lack of response to what has happened to my mother.'Later that month, Chris posted another statement, expressing gratitude for Board of Trustees member David Salcido for mentioning his mother during a board meeting. He wrote: 'I want to personally thank David Salcido for mentioning my mom at the last board meeting. Maybe all you people in administration could learn from him.'Chris told KSAT that once his mother ran out of sick days and paid time off, the school district cut off all of her health benefits. 'She got punished for getting hurt at a school doing her job,' he said to the outlet. NISD Assistant Superintendent of Communications Barry Perez responded in a statement to KSAT: 'The Worker’s Compensation program pays for benefits like medical care to treat employees who are injured while on the job.' Evangeline worked as a San Antonio educator for more than 50 years and taught at Passmore Elementary School before she died Chris told KSAT that once his mother ran out of sick days and paid time off, the school district cut off all of her health benefitsThe NSID also said staff members of both the school and the district had been checking in on Evangeline while she was hospitalized. Before the fatal fall, Chris had been urging his mother to retire for years - but she refused to budge. 'When I stop loving what I’m doing, I’ll think about retiring,' she would reply, according to her grieving son.
