Daily Breeze
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — The burn unit of a hospital can be a lonely, boring place, especially for a 10-year-old boy.
But Kevin Gonzalez’s room at Torrance Memorial Medical Center got a little brighter this week, thanks to a visit from some unlikely Santas. Hoping to give the family a little holiday cheer, firefighters from the Manhattan Beach Firefighters Burn Foundation stopped by the hospital Monday to drop off food and gifts — along with a $500 check — for Gonzalez and his family.
The Banning family of six had been surviving on food stamps in the wake of father Catarino Gonzalez’s recent layoff when their car was struck by two vehicles racing in Los Angeles on Dec. 7. The drivers fled. The accident totaled the family’s only car. A large pot of hot soup in the back seat splashed over Kevin, causing severe second-degree burns down his left leg. He was transferred last week to Torrance Memorial, one of three burn centers in Los Angeles County. A nurse said Kevin’s injury was significant.
Full story: Manhattan Beach firefighters give holiday cheer to 10-year-old burn victim at Torrance Memorial