Accident paralyzes student

Medical teams will fly a University of Washington senior home from Costa Rica this weekend after a spring-break accident left him paralyzed.

Back in Seattle, friends from Larry Busch's Zeta Psi fraternity are raising money to help pay the tens of thousands of dollars in medical and transport costs. Inspired by the yellow wristbands made popular by cyclist Lance Armstrong, the fraternity plan to begin selling purple wristbands around campus next week, featuring Busch's initials on one side and the word "strength" on the other.

Busch, 22, and about a dozen friends, most from his fraternity, were nearing the end of their weeklong trip on March 23 when they visited Flamingo Beach to watch the famous sunsets there, said Stuart Faris, a fraternity brother who witnessed the accident.

Several in the group jumped into the surf and began tossing each other into the waves, said Faris, who remained on the beach. When Busch was tossed, he fell head-first into the shallow, smooth water behind the breaker, Faris said.

"He came back up face-down," Faris said. "They pulled him out immediately ... We were telling him to take deep breaths."

A nursing student in the group recognized it was a neck or spinal injury. Still, Busch was able to joke with his friends.

"He said, 'I'll never be the dancing queen,' " Faris said.

What followed was a five-hour ambulance journey to a hospital in the capital, San José, through "some pretty miserable road conditions," Faris said.

Doctors operated on him, removing shattered parts of his spine and grafting a piece of his hip bone as a replacement.

Busch, a business major from Mukilteo, has since regained some sensation in his hands but remains on a ventilator. His mother and aunt have joined him at the hospital.

"He blinks yes or no. He cannot speak," said sister Teri Busch, 21, also a UW student. "He's doing the best he can. We hope that getting him home will bring up his spirits."

Teri Busch said her brother is an avid photographer and an enthusiastic snowboarder. He also enjoys tennis, soccer and softball. He was looking forward to graduating.

"He was really pumped about his future," she said.

Teri Busch said her brother has health insurance but its unclear how much — if anything — will be paid for care received abroad. In the meantime, friends and family have "thrown down credit cards" to pay for the trip home, she said.

The family believes he will recover, she added.

Zeta Psi friends, who said no alcohol was involved in the incident, have set up an account with Bank of America. People can donate money at any branch to The Larry Busch Fund. The fraternity is posting updates on its Web site: www.uwzetapsi.com

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com