Global Courant
A California high school student lost his leg after a suspected DUI driver ran into him while he was sitting on a bus stop bench on a Santa Monica street lined with palm trees.
Gelvy Ortiz, 18, is described as a bright and hard-working student and the youngest of three orphans who came to the US from Guatemala, supporters wrote in a GoFundMe campaign. According to local reports, he wanted to serve in the United States Army after graduation.
However, around midnight on June 2, witnesses called 911 to report an accident involving a Volkswagen Jetta and a pedestrian, police said.
John Edward Alevizos, 35, has been charged with drunk driving due to Ortiz’s “severe traumatic injuries to both legs,” the Santa Monica Police Department said.
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Gelvy Ortiz, 18, lost his leg after Santa Monica police said a suspected DUI driver John Alevizos allegedly drove into the bus stop where he was sitting. (GoFundMe)
First responders rushed Ortiz to UCLA Medical Center, where he was in critical condition for days, police said.
“He completely lost his left leg and his right leg is still under observation at high risk that he will lose it too,” wrote Amy Roblero, who organized the fundraiser.
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John Alevizos was released just hours after his arrest on charges of drunk driving in a traffic accident in which an 18-year-old lost his leg in Santa Monica, California. (Santa Monica Police Department)
Alevizos is accused of jumping off a curb at the intersection of 26th Street and Wilshire Boulevard and driving into Ortiz, who was sitting on a bench waiting for a bus just before midnight on June 2, police said.
He was booked into the Los Angeles County Jail around 2 a.m. on June 3, the records show. That same day he posted bail and was released.
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Ortiz played football and planned to enlist in the U.S. Army after graduation, Los Angeles-based KTLA-TV reported.
A Google Maps image shows the bus stop in Santa Monica where the accident happened. (Google Maps)
Global Courant
According to Roblero, as of Monday, the GoFundMe campaign had raised nearly $50,000 to cover his medical bills and other expenses.
Alevizos’ next court date was not immediately clear.
Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.ruiz@fox.com and on Twitter: @mikerreports
