Jonathan Ghattas, as a boy, with his dad Raouf Ghattas, right, who was struck by a car five weeks ago.
The Larchmont Village People, who gather daily for coffee at Groundwork, are rallying to help Jonathan Ghattas, whose father was tragically struck by a car. Five weeks ago, Raouf (Ralph) Ghattas was out doing errands, simply walking in a parking lot, when he was tragically struck by a driver who then left the scene. Mr. Ghattas, age 63, suffered a skull fracture and massive trauma to his brain.
“It’s been a surreal time, for sure,” Jonathan told us. “This just came out of nowhere and now my dad’s brain is severely injured, it’s like he’s suffered a massive stroke. There are days when it’s overwhelming, but am lucky to have close friends who are helping me get through it.”
“This is very tragic and we feel really bad for him,” Groundwork customer Michael Soriano told the Buzz.
Eventually, the suspect was found, booked and released. Â Mr. Ghattas survived but is currently non-responsive. Jonathan, who was living with his dad for the past three years, is making arrangements to transfer his father to a skilled nursing facility to be cared for in his remaining days.
When Soriano and others in the “Larchmont Village People” group found about the tragedy, they immediately wanted to help.
“We created a Go-Fund-Me campaign to help Jonathan through this very difficult time, maybe help cover hospital and funeral expenses that won’t be covered by any insurance. Jonathan is such a nice and humble person, we know he didn’t want to bother anyone but we really wanted to help him out if we could.”
Jonathan started working at the Groundwork on Larchmont in August 2020, while completing his college degree in journalism. Since then, he has become part of the neighborhood and has grown fond of the customers he sees everyday, like the Larchmont Village People. Â “Michael, Todd, Karlee, Donny and Marco are very nice people, they are here everyday, always very kind and generous and always polite to our staff,” Jonathan told the Buzz.
“I moved in with my dad three years ago to help him with because he was having some health issues,” explained Jonathan, who also works as freelance sports journalist covering the LA Clippers for News4Usonline.com. “We would watch sports together. The playoffs season starting soon is our favorite time of year, I’m going to really miss him.”
The tragic accident with his father has motivated Jonathan to move up his plans to complete his masters degree in journalism at the University of San Francisco. He hopes to start his program in the Fall.
