Boy remains in critical condition A...

Boy remains in critical condition

A 2-year-old boy remained in critical condition Tuesday at UCI

Medical Center in Orange after being thrown 15 feet when he was

struck by a hit-and-run driver Saturday in the Oakview neighborhood.

Charlie Vivar Benitez was riding a small push cart Saturday

evening on Jacqueline Street near Slater Avenue when a car going

westbound on Slater Avenue hit him.

Charlie had gone off of the sidewalk and onto the street when he

was hit, said Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Gary Meza.

He suffered a severe skull fracture and was taken to UCI Medical

Center where he was listed as being in critical condition, said

hospital spokesperson Kim Pine.

Although his mother was nearby, she lost sight of him and there

were no witnesses, police said.

Anyone with information regarding the accident is asked to call

the Huntington Beach Police Department Traffic Bureau at (714)

536-5663.

Marine saves boat from crashing

Marine Safety officers stopped a runaway boat from crashing into

Huntington Harbour jetty last week when they jumped into an un-maned

19-foot boat.

While he hated to describe it as such, Marine Safety Lt. Kyle

Lindo said that the rescue was a definitely a “Baywatch” moment.

Marine Safety Officers Steve Reuter and Brian McConnell responded

to a call of a runaway vessel on Aug. 18. Two Long Beach boaters were

tossed from their boat after hitting a wake at 50 mph. The boat was

heading toward the Huntington Harbour jetty when Reuter and McConnell

spotted it. They pulled up alongside of it and McConnel then jumped

into it and brought it to a stop about a quarter mile from the jetty.

Services awarded

for senior plan

The Huntington Beach Fire Department Emergency Services Office and

Community Services Senior Centers will be presented with the Gold

Award from the California Emergency Services Assn. at the group’s

annual conference on Oct. 10.

Both agencies are being recognized for their work on their

emergency plan for at-risk seniors. Betsy Crimi, senior outreach

center director and Glorria Morrison, emergency services coordinator

developed a plan to address the needs of the city’s elderly residents

during emergency situations such as an earthquake or other natural

disaster.

Crimi and Morrisson enlisted the help of three volunteer

organizations, the Community Emergency Response Team, Radio Amateur

Civil Emergency Services and the Council on Aging Senior Team to help

with the emergency plan. The three groups will act as “senior

response teams” during times of crisis.

--Compiled by Jose Paul Corona