San Diegans are offering support to a former San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) deputy injured and left paralyzed in a motorcycle crash.
Deputy Rudy Sanchez Sr. was in an accident last month that left him paralyzed from the chest down. He was on his way to work when his motorcycle was hit by a pickup truck on northbound Interstate 805 south of the 47th street exit. The accident is still under investigation.
He was badly injured in the collision. Today, he is bedridden and even after four surgeries, recovery is slow.
“Hopefully he will be able to get mobility in his hands, be able to use his hands but it's hope," his son, Rudy Sanchez Jr., said.
Sanchez Jr. is following in his father’s career path. Sanchez Sr. is a 20-year veteran of the SDSO. Sanchez Jr. told NBC 7 that looks up to his father and that they are best friends.
“We play softball together, play tournaments together, we do a lot of things together and not having him with me is going to be difficult,” he said.
His son says all of his father's plans for an active retirement ended there.
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“He definitely wanted to move into this [RV] and wanted to travel. This was going to be his life right here,” Sanchez Jr. said.
To help their fellow deputy, members of the SDSO are raising money for Sanchez Sr. through a GoFundMe page. The funds raised there will help pay to remodel the deputy's home, adding a bathroom and wheelchair ramp that will be more accessible given his paralysis.
The deputy's family is deeply touched by the donations, the love and the support from both Sanchez Sr.'s colleagues as well as from complete strangers.
“It's incredible. It's incredible how people pull together to help somebody. In some cases, they don't even know,” Sanchez Jr. said.
He told NBC 7 that his father is committing the same determination he had while serving the community to recovering from his injuries.
“You challenge him and he'll try to beat that challenge. Right now, his challenge is to get his legs moving,” he said, speaking of his father.
To donate to the fund for Sanchez Sr., click here.
