Community Gives Support to Firefighter Struck By Car
Have you noticed firefighters on the street holding their boots to collect money for a charity? Perhaps one of the most popular “Fill the Boot” fundraisers this time of year is for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, or MDA. On Wednesday, September 9th, Dennis Rodeman of the Lansing Fire Department was collecting money with his fellow firefighters when he was deliberately hit with a truck after speaking to the driver moments before.
The driver of the truck, Grant Taylor, has since told the Lansing State Journal that he was angry at the firefighters because their collection was slowing down traffic so that motorists could put donations into the boots. When the firefighters explained their cause, Taylor allegedly threw an apple core at the firefighters and honked his horn before driving off. Minutes later, he returned to the intersection and hit Rodeman with his truck before fleeing the scene. Rodeman later died of his injuries in a Michigan hospital, leaving behind his pregnant wife of two months.
When the community heard of the accident, people began visiting the firehouse to donate to MDA and ask how they could help the family Rodeman left behind. The department set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to support Rodeman’s widow, and the original goal of $50,000 was reached in mere hours of the page going live Thursday morning. By Friday evening, the fundraiser had gathered more than $100,000 in pledges from over 2,000 people and organizations around the world wanting to help. The GoFundMe campaign has raised over $127,000 as of Monday afternoon.
Check out the links below for where you can go to help the family of Dennis Rodeman, and remember to always be considerate of emergency crews when you’re driving, whether they are working on the roadway or collecting money for a charitable cause.
GoFundMe for Rodeman’s Family: Lansing Hero Dennis Rodeman
News Source: Lansing State Journal
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