Friday, September 12, 2014

Illinois 911 Hero Has Motorcycle Accident

We recently experienced a heavy blow when one of our dispatchers, David Gonzales, was in a serious motorcycle crash while on his way to work. Our center actually took the 911 calls for his accident and then discovered when he did not arrive for his schedule shift that the accident involved him. 

At Northwest Central Dispatch you will find many dedicated, caring, and helpful employees that are always ready and willing to help out the communities they dispatch for as well as each other. David Gonzales is most certainly one of these people whom his coworkers would describe as, “a great person and friend.” He is one of the people you have no problem turning to if you’re questioning a call you took or in need of assistance getting a shift covered.
Outside of work, David is also a dedicated family man to his wife and three daughters who are 17, 15, and 2 years old. He just recently took time off of work in order to improve on the home they live in. Another activity that David regular enjoys is being able to go out for rides on his 2007 Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle. He took frequent rides out with close friends from work as well as with the motorcycle group he belongs to and regularly rode his motorcycle into work.
It was on such a night, on August 27th, 2014 at approximately 10:30PM that the Gonzales family were made to face one of their biggest challenges. A driver of a Ford Expedition struck David’s motorcycle as he was turning into a restaurant parking lot to pick up an order turned in front of David and struck him. David was thrown from the motorcycle and the driver of the Ford took off. Thanks to many witnesses and a delivery driver from the restaurant, police were able to apprehend the offender within four hours. David’s family, as well as his extended family at Northwest Central Dispatch, are incredibly grateful to all the people who assisted to catch the offender. It was our very own call center that took the 911 calls for David’s accident. When David did not arrive for his scheduled shift, the pieces fell into place.
When the news of David’s accident reached his family and those at Northwest Central Dispatch, there were no other words to describe how everyone felt except complete devastation. Anyone who knows David knows what a wonderful and kind hearted person he is. To imagine that he would be the one to suffer from such an accident and have someone attempt to relieve themselves of any responsibility by leaving the scene of the accident instead of providing aid to David is beyond our comprehension. Despite feeling such a loss, everyone has come together with an immense amount of love and support for David and his family.
Currently David is still in intensive care at Lutheran General Hospital. At this time, his wife, Maria Gonzales, asks more than anything for your prayers and thoughts for David and their family. David suffers from a cracked vertebrae as well as a head injury, but we are looking forward to him hopefully making a full recovery. Gifts of a monetary value are also greatly appreciated as they anticipate many potential hardships during this recovery. We have set a goal at this time for $10,000 to cover expenses for the family traveling from their home to the hospital and to alleviate other expenses while David is out of work. Checks can be made out to David or Maria Gonzales. Please send any donations and letters to:

Northwest Central Dispatch                                                                                                        
C/O Shasta Green                                                                                                                           
1975 E Davis St                                                                                                                          
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
**During long periods of recovery, I know his family and David would so appreciate receiving cards and letters to keep them going.** Also, please remember to let these families know you heard about their ordeal via Layers of Hope - Quilting 911, so they know!

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