Central Los Angeles : HELP FOR BOY
Richard Bautista, the 13-year-old Whittier boy who is recovering after being shot in the head in a random freeway attack last fall, got some new wheels Wednesday.
Richard and his parents received the keys to a van--specially equipped for his custom-made wheelchair--from an anonymous donor.
Richard had a “big grin on his face” as Los Angeles Childrens Hospital spokesman Steve Rutledge presented the van to the family Wednesday, Rutledge said.
In September, the altar boy was returning home from a Dodger baseball game on the Harbor Freeway when a gunman’s bullet pierced the top of his head. The assailant is still at large.
After months of rehabilitation at Childrens Hospital, Richard went home earlier this month. Richard has very limited control over his arms and legs, Hector said, but he is starting to get “a little bit of movement in his arms.”
Last month, an unidentified woman read about Richard and told Rutledge she would pay for a van.
The Bautistas chose a champagne-colored model and had it customized with a wheelchair lift on the side and room inside for the chair to be secured. The van cost about $23,000; modifying it cost about $5,300.
“It’s a very poignant gift that couldn’t have come at a better time for the family,” Rutledge said.
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