A REACH Helicopter flight crew has been credited with saving the life of a roadway accident victim as they flew him to a Sacramento trauma center from a Highway 99 pileup last week. 

The victim of the horrific road rage collision, roll over and ejection a week ago Thursday is showing some improvement after he was airlifted to the University of California Medical Center. While he is able to speak, with a slight movement in his inner thighs that shows some hope, his paralysis is linked to four shattered vertebrae – two in his back and two in his neck, according to his family. He is a machinist at a Stockton firm where he has been employed for the past four years.

James Galindez has become the focus of family, friends and countless people who have never met him as he and his fiancé Miranda Frisbee continue to hope and pray for their future together in his hospital room.

Galindez was critically injured when he was involved in a road rage incident as he was driving home from work on Highway 99 at French camp Road. His SUV was cut off by another driver causing his vehicle to spin and roll over onto a freeway fence just south of Delicato Vineyards. 

Frisbee and Galindez both graduated from Tracy schools – she went to West High and he graduated from Tracy High School. They recently purchased a home in Lathrop. She received her degree last month from Sacramento State University with a major in hospital administration. While she was getting her degree she worked at a dental office in Tracy. The couple had met at InShape gym in Tracy where she had worked years ago.

Galindez’s slow recuperation was interrupted by a fever on Wednesday that doctors felt was caused by a blood clot in his leg and they have aggressively treated the problem to reduce the fever. According to Frisbee’s mom, there are more surgeries ahead in what promises to be a long road for the couple.

“I am very pleased to see the response from the public and yes I agree we need to keep this in the people’s minds as I now know this could happen to any innocent person – changing lives forever with many, many years of rehab in the future. Paralysis is one of the main issues now,” Frisbee said.

She added that it is thrilling to see friends and family donating to the Gofundme.com website that drew one $500 donation Thursday night with a total of over $9,000 over some five days toward a total request of $50,000 with the site created by a family friend.

Anyone willing to donate toward the family may go to GoFundMe.com/JamesGalindez.

A member of the Manteca Kiwanis service club has directed her to the Kiwanis House on the medical center campus where the family members of hospitalized patients are welcome to stay without charge, helping elimiante the otherwise costly hotel bills to be close to a hospitalized loved one.