Volunteer LAPD Officer Attacked by Bees

UPDATE: May 17th, 2023, 7:00 PM Pacific -- See below the original story for an important update regarding funding! Note: you may have to click on "See older updates" to view it.

Hi, my name is Daniel and I'm fundraising for my dad, Gary, who was heartbreakingly featured on television as being overcome by killer bees and falling to the ground with the fire department nearby. Dad has been a volunteer for the LAPD for nearly 18 years, has been a first responder to many incidents, and helped save many lives by calling in paramedics to accident scenes, directing traffic around dangerous areas, and even making good decisions about when to step in and say help clear a baby's airway when it was suffering from RSV and stopped breathing before paramedics could arrive.

Unfortunately, while his job gets a lot of praise, we recently found out he'll be on the hook for his own medical expenses through Medicare, since volunteers are not considered city employees. Further, he's had to indemnify the LAPD and the city against any injuries he gets "on duty" and even pay for his own uniform and gear necessary to carry out those duties. It's looking like we, his family, will need to go to bat for him here, as he's going to be in the hospital for several more days to be stabilized enough for facial surgery. So we're hoping those out there that have any ties to or have been helped by these community officers, or even just want to keep them around and help protect them from harm’s way, can donate to get Gary back on his feet as soon as possible.

I'll try to update with more details as we find out about Gary's recovery, and what will probably be a drawn-out process with the insurance company. Thank you for keeping him, and all the community volunteers and helpers in your neighborhood, in your thoughts and prayers. We honestly don't know how much all this is going to cost at this point.

EDIT: New to GoFundMe, so I need to make it clearer that yes, I am in constant contact with my dad Gary, and that any money received will be going directly to an account with Gary as the primary account holder (ensuring he will get it directly). The purpose of this fundraiser is first to pay any of his out-of-pocket medical expenses, then for any uniform/equipment expenses/damages that were caused by the accident, then any legal or other expenses that have to do with filing claims, seeking/obtaining medical care, or rehab, and then if there's still money left, we'd work to get it to benefit other LAPD volunteers in some way and/or donate it to the LAPD earmarked for such purposes.