Orphan loses his leg after drunk driver crashed into bus stop he was sitting at – Teenager came to US from Guatemala and lost his mother to cancer
- Gelvy Ortiz, 18, was sitting at the Wilshere Boulevard and 26th Street bus stop
- John Edward Alevizos, 35, jumped the curb and crashed into Ortiz
- Ortiz and his brothers came to the United States from Guatemala in search of a better life
A California orphan who came to this country with his brothers in search of the American Dream lost his leg after waiting for a bus in Los Angeles and being hit by an allegedly drunk driver.
According to police, 18-year-old Gelvy Ortiz was sitting at the Wilshere Boulevard and 26th Street bus stop on June 2.
Suddenly, 35-year-old John Edward Alevizos jumped over the curb and crashed into Ortiz.
Ortiz, who came to America with his three siblings from Guatemala – where he is still attending high school – had his left leg amputated shortly afterwards and remains in the hospital. Doctors struggled to save his right one.
“I was waiting for the bus and the car hit me.” “I lost my left leg,” he told ABC7.
According to police, 18-year-old Gelvy Ortiz was sitting at the Wilshere Boulevard and 26th Street bus stop on June 2
Since the boys’ mother died of breast cancer, Ortiz has only lived with his brothers.
Brother David, 23, said he came first before finally bringing his brothers from Guatemala, where they lived with their 80-year-old grandmother.
He takes care of his younger brother day and night and takes time off from the two jobs he already has.
Ortiz reckons the family will struggle financially and logistically to care for Gelvy when he gets home.
“We have to rent an apartment on the ground floor.” Our apartment is on the top floor. “He won’t be able to climb the stairs,” he told the news channel.
Amy Roblero created a GoFundMe to help the family. She described Gelvy as a good student.
“He always managed to get top grades in school, despite the language and racial barriers he faced,” Roblero wrote of the campaign, which has raised over $46,000.
Gelvy, an avid soccer player, also had plans to enlist in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school, according to the KTLA.
Ortiz, who came to America with his three siblings from Guatemala – where he is still attending high school – had his left leg amputated shortly afterwards and remains in the hospital. Doctors struggled to save his right one
John Edward Alevizos, 35, posted bail and was released shortly after he was arrested in the accident. He is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol
The scene at the bus stop where Ortiz sat on Wilshere Boulevard and 26th Street on June 2nd
Ortiz, who wanted to enlist in the US Army after high school, uses his faith to fuel his hopeful recovery. “I ask God to give me the strength to get through this situation”
“He did all this while his brothers worked so they could support each other.”
The campaign’s current goal is $100,000 to “pay medical bills and her basic needs (rent, food, bills, etc.)” and eventually get Gelvy a prosthetic leg.
Ortiz uses his faith to fuel his hopeful recovery.
“I ask God to give me the strength to get through this situation,” he said.
Alevizos posted bail and was released shortly after he was arrested for the accident. He is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol.