By Bethania Palma Markus
The Whittier Daily News
SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. — A firefighter was injured while collecting money for a nonprofit organization Thursday morning.
The firefighter was at Valley View Avenue and Alondra Boulevard collecting money from passing drivers for the department’s annual “Fill the Boot” fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association when he crossed lanes and was struck by a small pickup truck at about 9:45 a.m., said Whittier police Officer Mike Dekowski.
Dekowski said the 53-year-old firefighter was taken by ambulance to UCI Medical Center and was listed in serious but stable condition.
“He’s conscious and talking,” Dekowski said.
Fire Department officials wouldn’t release his name, citing medical privacy laws.
Santa Fe Springs firefighters were at that intersection and Telegraph and Carmenita roads Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for the yearly fundraiser, officials said.
The department has been participating in the yearly drive for seven years, said Janet Ortiz, department spokeswoman.
“We’re going to work with the Whittier police and look at the results of the investigation and we’ll re-evaluate how or if we’ll do it in the future,” Ortiz said.
The firefighter was struck while walking in an eastbound lane of Alondra Boulevard, Dekowski said. The light had just turned green and he was trying to get to the sidewalk.
The driver stopped after the collision and the incident is being considered an accident, Dekowski said.
“Technically (the driver) had the right of way. He was not at fault,” Dekowski said. “Chances are (the firefighter) didn’t see the truck and the truck never saw him coming.”
East and westbound lanes on Alondra Boulevard were closed following the accident, Dekowski said. The eastbound side was closed for about four hours.
Carroll Wills, communications director for the California Professional Firefighters Association, said firefighters nationwide ask drivers and pedestrians yearly to fill their boots and donate the collected money to the MDA or burn foundations, he said.
The International Association of Firefighters sponsors the Muscular Dystrophy Association and firefighters have been participating in “Fill the Boot” for about a half century, he said.
“In my memory this is the first time I’ve seen a situation where someone was injured while conducting a `Fill the Boot’ drive,” he said. “They’re typically conducted extremely safely.”
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