A La Jolla resident and frequent hiker and mountain biker at Torrey Pines State Reserve is paralyzed from the neck down and fighting to recover lung function following an Oct. 15 altercation with a driver who reportedly ran a stop sign in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Doug David, a retired insurance underwriter, was moved from New Orleans’ University Medical Center Oct. 25 and is being watched by his niece Alicia Foulds, of Rancho Cucamonga. Foulds said David’s brain function is normal and that he can shrug his shoulders and has feeling in his biceps but is otherwise paralyzed.
The incident reportedly occurred the evening of the 15th after a driver ran a stop sign in the neighborhood, prompting David to throw a can at the vehicle. The driver reportedly pulled over and assaulted David, 64, who, Foulds said, doesn’t remember the incident. Emergency workers were called, and David was transported to the hospital.
David, who is unmarried, moved to California in about 1973 and retired nearly 10 years ago as an inspector with Underwriters Laboratories, the safety assurance giant.
Stephen Simpson, La Jolla photographer and a friend of David’s, is using a crowd-funding site to collect donations for the medical flight back to San Diego, with a funding goal of $10,000. A Facebook page titled Justice for Doug David was also launched. No suspects are in custody. – Times of San Diego