Riding to the Rescue

It was Eusebio Cifuentes’ lucky day.

Members of the nonprofit Anaheim Firefighters Assn. presented his family with $200 worth of grocery gift certificates, toys and a new bike early Wednesday after a hit-and-run accident last week left the Anaheim man injured and unable to work.

Cifuentes, 31, was riding his 12-year-old bike--his only means of transportation--to Harrington’s Automotive, where he works as a mechanic, Saturday morning when the father of two was struck on Orangewood Avenue by a van that then sped off.

Cifuentes suffered two broken right ribs and a fractured shoulder.

A motorist stopped and gave Cifuentes a ride home, where the apartment manager called 911 for Cifuentes, who does not have a phone.

Anaheim firefighter Jeff Ash, who arrived to find Cifuentes surrounded by his worried wife and children, said he was especially moved by the man’s plight. Ash, along with other members of the Anaheim Firefighters Assn., started an impromptu gift drive for the family.

“This accident bothered me a lot,” Ash said. “We often see people who are hurt, but we don’t see them as a member of a family. When I first arrived, I saw his family: His kids were on the couch, and I just looked in their eyes.”

Dozens of hit-and-runs occur every day in Orange County. About 2,000 were reported in Anaheim alone last year. So far, there are no suspects in the incident, and statistics indicate that an arrest is unlikely: Less than 10% of hit-and-run cases result in criminal prosecutions, said Anaheim Police Sgt. Joe Vargas.

Cifuentes’ wife, Celsa, 31, works the graveyard shift doing laundry at an Anaheim convalescent home to help make ends meet. But she said she will now have to look for another job, because her husband, the family’s main provider, cannot immediately go back to work. They have two children, Abner, 9, and Aileen, 4.

Cifuentes said he deeply appreciates the gifts.

“They made my day,” he said.

Celsa Cifuentes joked that the new bike was so nice, her husband was probably tempted: “He probably wants to ride the bike right now.”