Turlock fire victim lived in his car, father says. Indiana family requests donations
The man who suffered life-threatening burns in a Turlock vehicle fire last week was experiencing homelessness about 2,000 miles away from family, his father said Wednesday.
While his 38-year-old son remains in a medically induced coma with surgeries ahead of him, Daniel Arndt is requesting donations so he can travel from Indiana to be by his side.
“I wish I could be there with him,” Arndt said in a Wednesday phone interview. “But you know, if you don’t have the money, you can’t do it right now.”
Because of his limited income on disability, Arndt said he started a GoFundMe account to support his son, Robert Arndt. Once he has the funds to travel to the Sacramento burn center, Arndt said he plans to spend any remaining donations on his son’s medical fees.
His son had been living and sleeping in his car, which caught on fire, Arndt said. He has been experiencing homelessness for most of his adult life, Arndt said, and lived in Turlock for about four years.
Robert had a girlfriend whom Arndt believed is from Turlock. He tried to start a maintenance business, but it failed, Arndt said. He and his girlfriend recently ended their relationship, Arndt said, adding that the last time he talked with his son was about a month ago.
“He’s got some mental issues, so it’s hard for him to hold down work and stuff,” Arndt said. “I’ve tried to get him to come back home, but he won’t do that.”
His son has been intelligent since he was a child, Arndt said. Now he is in a coma and on a ventilator because of burn damage to his lungs. Once his lungs improve, Arndt said, doctors can do surgery to remove burned skin.
Robert Arndt suffered third-degree burns to his hands and feet, second-degree burns to his face and mild burns to his back, Arndt said. But without the anonymous rescuer who pulled his son out of the car fire, Arndt said his son would not be alive.
“I’m very grateful for the person who pulled him out,” Arndt said. “I just know Rob has a got a long road ahead of him.”
Police are still looking to interview the rescuer who left the scene before firefighters arrived. People with information can reach Detective Brandon Bertram at 209-664-7323. They also can contact the Tip Line at 209-668-5550, ext. 6780, or tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 12:35 PM.
