FAMILY'S CHRISTMAS, MAN'S LIFE ARE STOLEN DRUNK DRIVER HITS HANDICAPPED DAD.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
``My name is William Nguyen. I was born in Vietnam in 1969. Due to a childhood brain injury, I have been severely handicapped since I was a year old. ``In my homeland, the handicapped are ignored or abused. I had no chance to study in school. English is the first language I have read or written in. ``My parents came to this country with hopes of giving me a better life. The United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. does not ignore or abuse the handicapped, but tries to help them in any way possible. ``Through computers, I have begun to express myself for the first time. I hope to pursue a career that will involve communication in the age of technology, helping the handicapped who cannot speak. ``Thanks to the United States' compassion for the handicapped and the extraordinary opportunities to all of us in the age of technology, I face the future with hope.'' His family found this letter on William's computer in the Canoga Park apartment he, his wife, Ny, and their 6-month-old baby, Justin, moved into last month. They cried when they read it, especially that last line about facing the future with hope. Hope seemed so fragile to them now. They had just returned from visiting William in the critical-care unit at Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge Hospital Medical Center is a hospital in the Northridge town of Los Angeles, California, USA. It is currently operated by Catholic Healthcare West. History The hospital was founded in 1955 by Dr. . Visiting might be the wrong word. William had no idea his parents, brothers and sisters were there -- no idea even that he was there. The 37-year-old father with cerebral palsy cerebral palsy (sərē`brəl pôl`zē), disability caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years, resulting in a loss of voluntary muscular control and coordination. was in a drug-induced coma being readied for the nine surgeries he would face in less than a month to piece together the shattered shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. body a drunk driver left behind after running over William in his wheelchair. Left William unconscious on Roscoe Boulevard only a few feet from his apartment complex -- pinned underneath a pickup truck that rammed through a wrought iron wrought iron: see iron. wrought iron One of the two forms in which iron is obtained by smelting. Wrought iron is a soft, easily worked, fibrous metal. It usually contains less than 0.1% carbon and 1–2% slag. gate and only came to a stop after smashing into a tree. When police officers from the West Valley station arrived on the scene and saw William's mangled body and the twisted wreckage of his wheelchair under the truck, they all took a deep breath. It takes a lot to make seasoned police officers cry, says Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . Detective Dave Millan and his partner, Officer
Celeste Celeste is a woman's first name. Celeste may also refer to:in Music
He was returning home in his electric wheelchair from a trip to the Northridge Mall This article is about a mall in Salinas, California. For the dead mall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, see Northridge Mall (Milwaukee). Northridge Mall, located in Salinas, California, serves as Monterey County's largest shopping mall. , where he bought his son a Baby's First Christmas outfit that was on sale at J.C. Penney. ``You couldn't help but get emotional,'' Millan said. ``That poor man fighting CP his whole life, finally blessed with a wife and new baby. A future. Then to be taken out by a drunk driver like this.'' One of William's brothers, Ken, had told him to wait until the weekend and he'd drive him over to the mall, but William said no. He wanted to do this himself. He didn't want to wait. He was eager to see the look on his young wife's face when he brought home that red Santa outfit for their baby boy on his first Christmas. He was a few feet away from getting that chance when the drunk driver hit him. Some cases you take home with you, Millan and Thiel say. This was one of them. They dubbed dub 1 tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs 1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood. 2. To honor with a new title or description. 3. it the ``wheelchair case,'' and promised to get the guy who did this to William. Now, Jesus Ruiz Garcia, 38, has been charged in the case by the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County District Attorney's Office. Garcia faces four charges, including driving under the influence with two prior DUIs, and hit and run with great bodily injury. Garcia is Garcia I might refer to:
Officials say William was Garcia's second hit-and-run in less than 10 minutes that night. He sideswiped another car, whose driver was chasing him, police said, when Garcia's pickup truck jumped the curb and hit William. Police found an open bottle of vodka on the front seat. ``Initially, Garcia said his car had been stolen that night, but he finally admitted it was him,'' Millan said. ``He told us he wanted to tell the truth.'' But the truth is too late for a father with CP bringing home a Santa outfit for his baby's first Christmas. They are not a well-to-do family, the Nguyens. They're living the American dream American dream also American Dream n. An American ideal of a happy and successful life to which all may aspire: like most families -- paycheck to paycheck. William's wife Ny and baby son are staying with William's parents in North Hills now. She can't bear to go back to their Canoga Park apartment because she has to pass the accident scene at the same street corner. Even if she could, they can't afford the $827.96 monthly rent anymore. Between caring for her baby and being there for her husband as he fights to recover the future a drunk driver stole, Ny had to quit her job as a manicurist. She hopes to get out of the year lease they signed on the apartment, but she hasn't heard anything firm yet from the property management company that runs the complex. After what this family's been through, the management company should tear up that lease. But if they don't, I'll let you know. The family's been having a tough time finding a good skilled nursing facility skilled nursing facility n. Abbr. SNF An establishment that houses chronically ill, usually elderly patients, and provides long-term nursing care, rehabilitation, and other services. for William because when he finally gets out of the hospital, it's going to take at least three months of long, painful rehab until he's strong enough to come home. And then he'll need home care. He'll also need a new electric wheelchair and a communication device to hopefully someday return to teaching other handicapped people computer skills. It's a long list, the things William is William I, king of England William I or William the Conqueror, 1027?–1087, king of England (1066–87). Earnest and resourceful, William was not only one of the greatest of English monarchs but a pivotal figure in European going to need to regain that future a drunk driver stole from him. But if he's right in that letter he left behind on his computer -- that unlike his homeland, the United States does not ignore the handicapped, that it has compassion for them -- well, I like his chances. dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3749 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) William Nguyen and wife Ny, left, had looked forward to a bright future with their new son, Justin, above, wearing his first Santa suit This is what professional Santa Clauses call their clothing. Many people erroneously call the outfit a "Santa Costume". Those that are realistic Santa Clauses, like to think that they really are playing Santa Claus. They refer to the red outfit as their "Suit". . But their lives have been a nightmare since a drunk driver slammed into Nguyen and left him and his wheelchair pinned under a truck. |
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