Calif. off-duty firefighter dragged in hit-and-run

By Salvador Hernandez and Claudia Koerner
Orange County Register

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — An off-duty firefighter who was carried about 50 feet from a crosswalk by a hit-and-run driver is recovering from his injuries and expected to survive. Police on Wednesday again asked the public's help in finding the driver.

A witness followed the car for about a mile early Saturday morning before losing sight of it.

Luke Perisin, 38, of Dana Point is recovering at Mission Hospital with several broken bones and head injuries, said Laguna Beach police Lt. Jason Kravetz.

On Wednesday, his mother, Barb Perisin, said that he had been released from intensive care but that she had no idea when he would be well enough to leave the hospital. He'll then need physical therapy, she said.

"He had a lot of injuries and a long way to go with recovery," Perisin said.

Perisin was getting ready to leave Laguna Beach's Hospitality Night when he was hit, she said.

She and Luke's father, Ray, flew in from Illinois to be with their son, who has been a firefighter and paramedic in Orange County for three years.

"He's very caring for the people he takes care of, and now he's on the other side of the picture," she said.

When Laguna Beach police and fire officials arrived, she said, her son began giving them a status report on his injuries. In addition to having medical training, her son is a fitness enthusiast, she said.

"If he wasn't the kind of guy he is, the way he's built, he'd be dead," she said.

Police are asking for the public's help in finding a white Toyota Prius or Corolla. The car is believed to have damage to the front end, as well as to a windshield. Witnesses saw that the car had California plates but were unable to get a number, Kravetz said.

The Perisin family encourages anyone with information to come forward and hopes the driver will take responsibility for his or her actions.

"We just ask if he could turn himself in," Barb Perisin said, adding she hopes the community will pray for her son.

Anyone with information on the case may call Laguna Beach police at 949-497-0377.

Perisin works at the Orange County Fire Authority station in Laguna Woods, where he had been for about six months.

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