Two survivors of Hampstead crash grateful to be alive

Jan Ariza talks about surviving the crash in Hampstead, Ont. as he recovers in hospital on Thursday, March 8, 2012.

Juan Ariza and Abelardo Javier Alba-Medina tell CTV News they are continuing their recovery and are thankful for the support of their families.

Both men were severely injured and are grateful to have survived the crash on Feb. 6 between a passenger van and truck that killed 11 people including 10 migrant workers and the truck's driver.

A third survivor, Edgar Sulla-Puma, remains in a coma in a Hamilton hospital.

However, both the physical pain and mental anguish remain very real for the men.

Ariza and Alba-Medina are both now able to walk with the help of a walker, and with the assistance they have gotten from their families during their recovery.

Through a translator Ariza says "Most of the injuries are in my legs. Slowly I've started walking again with support. The pelvis is also broken."

But it will take much longer for the emotional and mental trauma to heal.

Ariza says "I continue having dreams, nightmares, and I'm also afraid to fall asleep."

He describes locking eyes with Fulton, the driver of the truck who was killed, and bracing for the impact.

"Just before the crash, basically, he tried to protect himself with his hands, you know," Ariza says.

Alba-Medina was also severely injured and says his thoughts turned immediately to his wife and two sons in his native Peru."

"At that moment I felt like I couldn't breathe. Basically, I thought of my family. I was asking God, ‘I don't want to die.'"

He says then he forced himself to take each breath, and now vows to keep the promise he made to his infant son, that he would return, "And that gave me a lot of strength."

Alba-Medina says his next fight will be to stay in Canada, where he believes he can give his family a better life.