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The Eagles Aid Injured Fan A
longtime Eagles fan never got the chance to enjoy the much-anticipated
reunion of his favorite group. Ina freak car accident on the way to the
concert, Gonzalo Rios’ legs were crushed by a car that drifted off the
road while he changed a tire. Rios
had to spend time in the hospital. So the Eagles went to him. A call
from Don Henley and a donation from the band have helped the Tujunga
man’s spirits as he recovers from the wreck that forced doctors to
amputate his legs from the knees down. Rios
and some friends were heading to the Eagles’ May 28 show at Irvine
Meadows Amphitheater when he was injured while stopped on the shoulder
of the San Gabriel River Freeway. Rios, 30, was in a coma for two weeks
and in physical therapy for two months before leaving the hospital July
29. “I
got to hear from all these people,” said Rios, a father of two who
made his living as a truck driver. “I realized how many friends I had
and all the people who were behind me.” The
Eagles [who perform in Raleigh tonight] learned about Rios’ injuries
after his best friend, Brad Leon, wrote a heartfelt letter to KLSX-FM
disc jockey Jim Ladd. Leon was looking only for an encouraging letter
from Rios’ favorite DJ, but Ladd ended up contacting Henley and asking
for help. The
singer did that, and more. While on tour, Henley sent a Takamine guitar
signed by the band along with five tour-t-shirts, which altogether
netted $7,650 in an on-air auction Ladd conducted. The money will go
toward paying off Rios’ medical bills. No one
was at the wheel of the car that hit Rios because the driver—Guillermo
Miguel Rubio—jumped out a mile earlier in a suicide attempt,
prosecutors said. Rubio,
who received only minor injuries, pleaded no contest in Los Angeles
Superior Court to one count of reckless driving causing serious injury,
a misdemeanor. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 14, when
prosecutors plan to recommend formal probation. The maximum sentence is
six months in jail. Prosecutors
had considered charges of assault with a deadly weapon and battery but
decided otherwise. “There was no way we could prove that Mr. Rubio
intentionally wanted to harm the victim,” said Mike Camacho, deputy
district attorney in Norwalk. Rios
was fitted with a set of temporary prosthetics and will receive
permanent ones within six months. He hopes to return to work as a
dispatcher but is not sure when he can drive with what he calls his
“fake legs.” He also plans to get to an Eagles concert—the next one, Oct. 8 at the Rose Bowl. |