SAN FERNANDO : More Than $3,000 Donated to Student’s Funeral Fund
Southern Californians have contributed $3,485 to pay funeral expenses for San Fernando High School football player Sergio Echevarria, who died last week of heatstroke after practicing in 102-degree temperatures.
The family needed $3,000 to ship Sergio’s body home to Michoacan, Mexico, for the funeral. Donations ranged from $5 to $3,000, the latter from “The Exorcist” author William Peter Blatty of Hidden Hills.
Blatty contributed because “his 15-year-old son plays football, so he really feels for the parents,” according to Blatty’s assistant, Patti Ullman.
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