CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : OAKLAND : Quake Survivor, 6, Gets Artificial Leg

A 6-year-old survivor of Oakland’s Nimitz Freeway collapse during the Oct. 17 earthquake has been fitted with an artificial left leg and “is in high spirits,” a therapist said. Julio Berumen was given the replacement at Children’s Hospital, where he has been since he was freed from the flattened wreckage of his mother’s car. His mother was killed and his 9-year-old sister was injured. “He’s going to hate us before it’s over, but we’re going to make him walk, walk, walk,” physical therapist Debbie Wong said. Doctors at the Oakland hospital said Julio may be home for Christmas and should be able to return to school early next year. He probably will eventually be able to ride the bicycle he won in a raffle a few weeks before the quake.