Jairo Diaz, who just two months ago was eagerly anticipating his graduation from Murrieta Mesa High School, and planning his future in the military, is determined to regain his ability to walk, according to The Press-Enterprise in a recent report.

Diaz was driving home around 8:30 p.m. on the evening of Jan. 16 when he lost control of his vehicle after trying to brake at an intersection that was set to flashing red lights when he was involved in what police described as “a major traffic collision,” the Menifee Police Department told the Press-Enterprise.

The crash left him with horrific injuries.

He was rushed by ambulance to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar before being airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center for specialized care, according to a GoFundMe campaign organized by his girlfriend.

Diaz suffered extensive injuries, including a bruised artery near his heart, a ruptured kidney, and a fractured pelvis, Athena Tovar said. “Doctors inserted a stent in his aorta to repair the artery, and he now relies on a nephrostomy bag due to kidney damage.

“His fractured pelvis required a complex surgical procedure involving multiple metal screws and chains for reinforcement. Before surgery, his femur had to be carefully realigned using a metal rod and clamp system. The six-hour operation required multiple blood transfusions due to significant blood loss.”

In addition to internal injuries, Diaz’s face was severely wounded by shattered glass, requiring over 30 stitches across his forehead, eyes, nose, and mouth. As he recovered from multiple surgeries, further complications arose — one of his lungs collapsed, forcing doctors to place him on a breathing machine. After several days, he could at last breathe on his own again.

Now, his girlfriend is working to raise $15,000 toward his long journey of recovery.

Diaz will be unable to bear weight on his legs for the next several weeks, after which he will begin three to nine months of physical therapy, his girlfriend wrote. “That’s where the fundraiser will come in handy.

Tovar says his recovery will require extensive medical care and ongoing therapy.

“We are hopeful that during his rehabilitation and recovery, he will regain the ability to walk again,” Tovar wrote. “With your help, we can make that possible. Please help with any amount.“

The campaign had raised $5,235 as of Friday morning.

“We ask that you please find it in your heart to help this young man move forward after enduring so much,” she said.

Find Diaz’s “Road to Recovery” GoFundMe here.

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He was traveling with his “Let’s Dine Out” co-host and partner, Isabelle “Izzy” Busse, who also died from injuries she suffered in the crash, according to local officials.

“All of us at KCAA are deeply saddened at the tragic loss of our friends and fellow broadcasters,” KCAA General Manager Mark Westwood and Chief Executive Fred Lundgren wrote in a statement shared on Facebook. “4 p.m. on Saturdays will never be the same without ‘Let’s Dine Out.’ We will miss them greatly.”

Borgen and Busse together hosted “Let’s Dine Out with Allan Borgen” weekly on KCAA, a Loma Linda-based AM and FM broadcaster. The couple also had been hosting monthly “Grub Club” dinners to connect with other foodies at local restaurants — with the one scheduled for later this month already sold out, Borgen’s son, Michael Borgen, said.

“He cared about restaurants, but he cared about people more than anything,” said Michael Borgen, who worked for years on the set of his father’s shows and, more recently, ran an online food review platform with his dad known as FeedMe411.

“His passion was food,” his son said. “On top of having a heart of gold, he wanted people to feel good.”

The elder Borgen had been a social worker before transitioning into the foodie world, becoming a self-made expert in eateries even before the Food Network had taken off, Michael Borgen said.

“You can’t have a community without good food,” Michael Borgen recalled his dad saying.

Borgen, who was a Hawaiian shirt fanatic, was also a longtime food critic for KVCR-TV, the Inland Empire’s PBS station, hosting restaurant review shows there for 32 years, including “Table for Two” and later “Let’s Dine Out,” according to a statement shared on social media by KVCR.

“Allan’s easy smile and friendly demeanor will be remembered fondly by the KVCR staff, his viewers and foodies all across the Inland Empire and Southern California,” KVCR said in the memorial post.

His license plate was “Mr. Food” and his favorite cuisine was “anything edible,” according to his son. The elder Borgen also wrote restaurant reviews for the San Bernardino Sun, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and Redlands Daily Facts, according to the Sun, and served annually as a judge for the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

Michael Borgen said his father wasn’t in his line of work to leave harsh critiques but tohelp restaurants improve their food, and in turn, stay in business.

“He wanted to make it better for everybody, especially the restaurateur,” Michael Borgen said. He said he’s heard from several restaurant owners and chefs over the last few days, many of whom told touching stories about his dad.

“He cared about them more than he cared about himself,” Michael Borgen said through tears. “There will definitely not be another Allan Borgen; he’s a one of a kind.”

Borgen, 75, was driving Saturday on Interstate 44 in Laclede County, Mo., when a large truck going the opposite direction crossed the median and hit Borgen’s vehicle, killing him, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report. Busse, 54, was transported to a hospital, where she later died.

Neither Borgen nor Busse, who both lived in Redlands, shied away from an adventure and the opportunity to try new foods, Michael Borgen said.

Busse and Borgen had been together the last few years, and Busse had become part of their extended family, Michael Borgen said.

“When she came along, it was wonderful,” the younger Borgen said, calling her a perfect match for his dad. They both looked out for each other, yet were still independent — and obviously into good food.

“She was a sweetheart,” Michael Borgen said. “They traveled and ate and loved.”

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The incident occurred around 11 p.m. Monday on Indian Street near Ironwood Avenue, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Video from the scene showed the SUV on top of a pick-up truck and wedged inside the garage.

Firefighters were able to rescue a man from inside the SUV, but a woman in the vehicle did not survive. She has not been identified.

It’s not clear who was driving.

Mary Helen Navarro was inside the home when it happened. She said she’s thankful her family wasn’t hurt.

“I’m grateful that it wasn’t us and sad that it was them, really. My condolences go out to their family,” Navarro said.

She said three of their vehicles were damaged, two of them totaled, but they may have saved her life.

The trucks in the driveway and in the garage stopped the airborne SUV from going further into the house.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department | Contributed

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The collision occurred at about 12:30 a.m. on the northbound 215 Freeway near Center Street. According to California Highway Patrol, officers responded to a call of a Ford Fusion traveling the wrong way on the northbound side of the freeway just prior to the head-on collision.

Officers arrived to discover the Fusion had slammed into a Ford Focus in the carpool lane.

The drivers of both vehicles, a man and a woman, died at the scene. No names were released. There were no passengers in either vehicle.

Firefighters with the CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department were called in to extricate the victims from their vehicles.

The northbound lanes were shut down for several hours, but have since reopened.

It’s unclear if drugs or alcohol played a factor in the crash.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department | Contributed

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PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Three teenage boys were killed in Southern California when the car they were in struck a curb, collided with a fence and rolled over on an embankment, authorities said.

The single-vehicle crash happened around 8:30 p.m. Sunday near an intersection in Pasadena, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Preliminary reports that the 2005 Honda plunged off an elevated section of nearby Interstate 210 were inaccurate, the highway patrol said.

The sedan came to rest upside-down on a sidewalk underneath the highway overpass.

The 17-year-old driver and 16-year-old passenger died at the scene and another 17-year-old passenger died at a hospital, officials said.

The cause is under investigation.

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The researchers studied statistics from the Chicago Data Portal, November 2018 to December 2019. They matched 962 alcohol-involved crashes with 962 that did not involve alcohol, and particularly looked at the density per square mile of rideshare trips that were in progress at the time of the crash.

The researchers chose Chicago because it is one of the few locations in which rideshare data—including information about where each trip started and ended—are released publicly at the trip level. This level of detail is necessary to improve understanding of ridesharing’s positive and negative impacts.

“We found the density of active rideshare trips near a crash site was associated with decreased odds that the crash was alcohol-involved,” says Christopher Morrison, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School. “These results are consistent with the suggestion that ridesharing replaces impaired-driver trips.”

Specifically, an increase of one rideshare trip per square mile was associated with 0.2% decreased odds that a crash was alcohol-involved. Although the benefits for one rideshare trip were small, the sheer volume of rideshare trips and alcohol-involved crashes on Chicago roads mean the overall impacts could be substantial.

The study points out that ridesharing services are available in 263 cities in the United States, and they have facilitated more than 11 billion rides since beginning to operate around 10 years ago. Ridesharing may be an appealing option for consumers because they can avoid both the risk of drunk driving and the potential inconvenience of public transportation.

Morrison concludes that although some research shows ridesharing may be associated with increases in other public health problems—such as pedestrian crashes—these findings support the use of ridesharing to tackle the specific problem of drunk driving.

“Drunk driving is devastating for the people who drive drunk and for other drivers and passengers with whom they share the road,” says Morrison. “We can use this information to help reduce these enormous health costs.”

Co-authors include Gabrielle D’Ambrosi, Ava Lamb, and Andrew Rundle, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health; Kytt McManus, The Earth Institute, Columbia University; and David Humphreys, Oxford University.

The study was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (R49-CE003094).

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The collision occurred just before 5:20 p.m. on Domenigoni Parkway near Lindenberger Road.

According to the investigators, a westbound Ford F-150 pickup veered out of its lane and struck the driver side of a Chevy Silverado.

As a result, the Silverado lost control, and crossed over the center divider and rolled onto the side ejecting two juveniles from the truck.

Unfortunately, the two children died at the scene, according to the Menifee Police Department. Meanwhile, the driver of the Chevrolet sustained minor injuries but refused medical transport. Later on, the authorities identified the deceased children as 1-year-old and a 16-year-old of San Jacinto. In the end, the police booked 18-year-old Logan Schell for suspicion of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. Authorities are encouraging anyone with information about the crash on Domenigoni Parkway to contact Menifee Police Department at 951-723-1690.

No words can mend the broken hearts and sorrow felt during this delicate moment. Sweet James sends their deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and friends of deceased.

Riverside County Police Department | Contributed

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The crash was reported at 6:45 a.m. on Warren Road, a heavily traveled highway with one lane in each direction separated by a double yellow line.

A white Chevrolet Silverado was headed north on Warren south of Esplanade Avenue when it crossed the line, said Officer Matt Napier, a CHP spokesman. The driver of the semi swerved, but the left front of the pickup struck the left front of the semi, Napier said.

Both vehicles were traveling at about the posted 55 mph speed limit, Napier said.

Brian Rokos | Contributed

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A California doctor is being praised as a hero after he managed to safely deliver a baby, despite being hurt in a car crash on his way to the hospital.

Dr. George Alkhouri was badly injured following the crash on July 2 — but that didn’t prevent him from going above and beyond to make sure that little Bradley Stanghellini made a safe entrance into the world, according to NBC affiliate KCRA.

“I wasn’t thinking about the pain in my leg, or the blood on my face, or my hand,” Alkhouri, of Golden Valley Medical Centers, recalled to the outlet. “Just, all I’m thinking [is], ‘How am I going to get there and how I’m going to deliver this baby?'”

Without that sheer determination, it’s possible that things could’ve gone very differently that evening for Alyssa Stanghellini and her newborn son.

“It’s pretty remarkable,” Alyssa told ABC affiliate KFSN. “He’s a remarkable human being that I just can’t express enough gratitude to.”

Earlier in the night, after Alyssa had gone into labor, she discovered that Bradley’s heartbeat had become dangerously slow and the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, KCRA reported.

“It was just a whirlwind,” Alyssa recalled to the outlet. “I was in a lot of pain, so I was just looking for relief and hoping everything would be okay.”

Added her mom, Amanda Maxwell, to KCRA: “It’s just like a panicked situation. You just don’t know what’s going on.”

Though Alkhouri was monitoring Alyssa’s progress from his home, he soon realized that he had to take action and get her checked in at Dignity Hospital in Merced, according to KCRA.

“I found the baby in a lot of stress and there is a need to take the baby and deliver him immediately,” Alkhouri explained to the outlet.

But things didn’t go as planned when Alkhouri was on his way to the hospital and ended up being hit by a drunk driver, KFSN reported, citing local police.

“All the glass just shattered and came in my face and my hands,” Alkhouri told the outlet.

Immediately after the collision, Alkhouri said he was able to get out of his car and check on the other driver, according to KCRA. Though his phone stopped working, the doctor was able to call 911, the outlet reported.

Once a police officer arrived at the scene, Alkhouri borrowed his phone to call a charge nurse at the hospital and let her know what had happened, KFSN reported.

“I told her I’m going to do my best to be there,” he explained to the outlet. “When the police officer heard us talking, he offered to release me and let me go.”

That offer from the cop ultimately allowed Alkhouri — who was bloodied and in pain — to make it to the hospital in time and help deliver baby Bradley at 1:03 a.m., according to KFSN.

“I was standing on only one leg when I was doing the surgery,” Alkhouri explained to the KCRA, adding that he even had a nurse in the operating room remove shards of glass from his face.

As his injuries continue to heal, Alkhouri said moments like this remind him of why he got into the profession in the first place.

“I’m so happy to see Alyssa and her baby, healthy and together,” he told KCRA. “This gives me more push to do it again, honestly.”

As for Alyssa, she is eternally grateful to the doctor for safely bringing her son into the world.

“I feel like God had his hand over the situation, so I’m just very grateful that Dr. Alkhouri was able to make it even though he was injured,” she told KFSN. “I don’t know if we would have Bradley here if he wasn’t able to make it.”

Joelle Goldstein | Contributed

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