Friends raise thousands for actor run down by car
FAMILY AND friends of a British man who was hit by a car in Los Angeles last week have raised tens of thousands of dollars to fund his recovery.
Marcus J Freed was knocked down as he crossed the road en route to a friend’s house for Friday night dinner.
According to his sister Lauren Rubin, Mr Freed, who had earlier been at shul, initially seemed dazed but otherwise well. The driver took him to his friend’s house, but failed to leave his details.
Mr Freed was then taken to CedarsSinai Medical Center in nearby Beverly Hills, where a CT scan showed an arterial bleed between his skull and his brain.
The 42-year-old actor, who is wellknown in Britain for his performances, was rushed into theatre for life-saving surgery on Friday night. It failed to stop the bleeding and Mr Freed was operated on again on Tuesday.
“It was pretty severe to have another operation but thankfully he’s come round from that now,” said Mrs Rubin, from her home in Bushey. “We don’t know the full extent of his situation. It’s still very early days and I think it’s a case of hour by hour, day by day, week by week.”
Mr Freed’s parents Gill and Barry Freed, who belong to Watford & District United Synagogue, were on holiday in Florida at the time of the accident and rushed to his bedside. A crowdfunding page has already raised more than $75,000 (around £57,000) of the $100,000 needed to cover the cost of his treatment. Audrey Jacobs, a friend of Mr Freed who set up the page, explained that he did not have medical insurance to pay for his care. Mr Freed has spent his career combining a love of performance with a passion for the Jewish religion and culture. He is the author of several Kabbalah-based books and also created Bibliyoga — a fusion of yoga and Jewish textual understanding.
He became a rabbi earlier this year. Mrs Rubin said she and her family have been “overwhelmed” by the prayers and good wishes on social media since the accident, as well as the financial pledges, including from her brother’s community at the Pico Shul in LA.
“Pico have been unbelievable,” she said. “They’ve been like an extended family to him and we are very grateful.”
The main thing now, according to Mrs Rubin, is that her brother has the time and space to recover. “He’s had major trauma and surgery and now his brain and body need to heal.”