Community Hero Seeks Assistance
Donation protected
On January 25th, 2021, a man began to drive his car into pedestrians in Portland, Oregon. Miguel Rochin witnessed a bicyclist get hit by the car and knocked to the ground. Miguel ran over to try and offer his help. As he looked up to see where the driver went and using his phone to record the incident, he noticed the driver had turned around and was driving towards him while accelerating. As the car came closer to Miguel, he tried to jump out of the way but was clipped by the car’s bumper and injured his leg and hand as a result of the impact.
Once Miguel was able to shake off the near-death experience, he once again turned around to locate the vehicle and noticed that it had wrecked into another vehicle. He saw the man jump out of the car and run away, so Miguel pursued the man on foot and eventually caught up to him. As others arrived to help corral the driver of the car, the driver laid on the ground for a moment and then jumped up and attempted to hit Miguel. That is when the police arrived and intervened.
Miguel is a day laborer which means he depends on his physical strength and ability and relies on income that varies from day to day. This also means he does not have the luxury of using paid sick leave. He is also undocumented which means that he does not have access to adequate health insurance and therefore is unable to afford the cost of counseling and other fees related to his health and recovery after this event. Miguel is looking for help to pay for the costs of medicine, work tools that were missing from the scene after his injury, and the cost of lost wages due to his inability to work at his full and normal strength while he recovers. Additionally, Miguel is looking for help to pay legal fees as his status as a victim of crime may open the path to legal residency.
After this traumatic experience and realizing that the nature of his work as a day laborer creates certain barriers and challenges, Miguel plans to pursue his GED in order to secure a different, more certain career path so that he does not find himself faced with a similar hardship in the future. He plans on building upon his welding skills that he currently uses to get jobs. His dream is to open his own shop to sell customized metal structures for home gardens and offices, something that he currently does for work.
It is difficult for Miguel to ask for help during this time as he understands that many people are struggling right now due to the pandemic. He appreciates any amount anyone reading this would be able to donate or any job someone would be willing to offer for him to do. He is currently homeless and looking for opportunities to provide more stability for himself now and in the future. Thank you for taking the time to read this story and contribute to Miguel’s continued recovery and success!
KATU 2 News Story
Univision News Story
Custom Metal Garden Structure by Miguel
Custom Metal Samurai Suit for Decoration by Miguel
Once Miguel was able to shake off the near-death experience, he once again turned around to locate the vehicle and noticed that it had wrecked into another vehicle. He saw the man jump out of the car and run away, so Miguel pursued the man on foot and eventually caught up to him. As others arrived to help corral the driver of the car, the driver laid on the ground for a moment and then jumped up and attempted to hit Miguel. That is when the police arrived and intervened.
Miguel is a day laborer which means he depends on his physical strength and ability and relies on income that varies from day to day. This also means he does not have the luxury of using paid sick leave. He is also undocumented which means that he does not have access to adequate health insurance and therefore is unable to afford the cost of counseling and other fees related to his health and recovery after this event. Miguel is looking for help to pay for the costs of medicine, work tools that were missing from the scene after his injury, and the cost of lost wages due to his inability to work at his full and normal strength while he recovers. Additionally, Miguel is looking for help to pay legal fees as his status as a victim of crime may open the path to legal residency.
After this traumatic experience and realizing that the nature of his work as a day laborer creates certain barriers and challenges, Miguel plans to pursue his GED in order to secure a different, more certain career path so that he does not find himself faced with a similar hardship in the future. He plans on building upon his welding skills that he currently uses to get jobs. His dream is to open his own shop to sell customized metal structures for home gardens and offices, something that he currently does for work.
It is difficult for Miguel to ask for help during this time as he understands that many people are struggling right now due to the pandemic. He appreciates any amount anyone reading this would be able to donate or any job someone would be willing to offer for him to do. He is currently homeless and looking for opportunities to provide more stability for himself now and in the future. Thank you for taking the time to read this story and contribute to Miguel’s continued recovery and success!
KATU 2 News Story
Univision News Story
Custom Metal Garden Structure by Miguel
Custom Metal Samurai Suit for Decoration by Miguel
Organizer
Cristian Salgado
Organizer
Beaverton, OR
