Charity Helps Pastor in Painful Recovery

The Rev. Gerald Buxton has preached the virtues of charity to his flock countless times in his 40-year career.

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind,” is a favorite Bible passage.

But until Buxton was maimed and nearly killed by an alleged drunk driver in Oxnard more than four months ago, he did not realize how long he would have to suffer for charity. Nor did he realize how kind it could be.

George Yu, his primary physician and several of the 12 doctors who have treated the uninsured 62-year-old since his Aug. 6 accident have either forgiven or greatly reduced medical bills that total more than $50,000.

The hospital where the Pentecostal pastor stayed until Friday’s checkout wants its $500,000 bill paid, but officials at St. John’s Medical Center in Oxnard said they will not sue Buxton or go after his assets.

This came as a relief to Buxton and his wife, Shirley. They feared losing their Rialto home because of the tragedy.

The news made the two-hour ride home easier Friday.

“It has been a long, painful trip,” said Buxton, pastor of New Life Center in Rialto.

But Buxton said it has been a “wonderful trip” as well.

Local churches came to his family’s aid with groceries as his wife and son moved into a room provided free by the hospital.

“They have been wonderful in every way,” Buxton said, as he brushed away tears and said farewell to the hospital staff.

Yu said he waived his $18,000 fee, because “Rev. Buxton has touched so many lives here.”

Yu was on duty in the emergency room and was the first doctor to treat Buxton. Dozens of bones were broken and he was not expected to live. For the next two months, nearly every day brought a new life-threatening crisis. He was paralyzed below the neck for three months and could not eat solid food until last week.

On Friday, as he left the hospital in a wheelchair, Buxton talked of walking again. Doctors said they expect him to make a complete recovery.

“It’s just been amazing,” Yu said. Even more remarkable, Yu said, have been Buxton’s will to survive and his eagerness to help other patients cope with ordeals.

“It is why he is alive today,” Yu said.

And it is why the medical bills will not become another tragedy for the Buxtons, Yu said.

“It’s the least we can do for this guy,” Yu said. “He has touched so many lives.”

Hospital officials said they will wait to see if Buxton gets assistance from several government agencies that he has asked for help. Buxton has received no help from the man accused of hitting him, David Christopher Estey, 28, of Thousand Oaks. And he is not satisfied with what has been done to prosecute him.

Estey would not comment on the accident.

Police arrested Estey at the scene on suspicion of felony drunken driving. A blood test showed Estey was legally intoxicated and had methamphetamine in his system at the time, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Don Grant.

But Estey has not been charged with a crime because the district attorney’s office twice has sent the case back to police for further investigation.

Grant said he wants to file felony charges against Estey, but cannot until police reconstruct the accident scene and establish where Buxton was standing when he was hit.

But Buxton does not remember where he was standing, and no one witnessed the accident.

Through it all, though, Buxton said he never lost his faith or his positive attitude. He said he does not hate Estey, but hopes he will be prosecuted. The bills are a worry, but he hugs his wife and said he is grateful to be alive.

Before the accident, he preached simplicity. During his recovery, he said he practiced what he preached to help get him through each painful day. It is a practice he intends to make a routine at home.

“I just want to sit in my easy chair next to the fireplace and scratch my nose,” he said. “I haven’t been able to do that much.”