Benefit Raises Money for Hit-and-Run Victim

More than 700 people attended a fundraiser on Saturday benefiting a 34-year-old Marine injured in a hit-and-run crash in Rancho Bernardo on July 31. The event raised more than $14,000, according to an event organizer.

Gunnery Sgt. Dave Smith remains hospitalized in critical condition following the July 31 crash, according to the event's coordinator, Tina Hook.

“People have given tremendously today,” Hook said of the fundraiser held at the El Cajon Harley Davidson dealership.

Police said Smith had stopped his motorcycle at a red light while riding east on Bernardo Center Drive, near West Bernardo Drive. He was hit from behind by a Chevrolet TrailBlazer allegedly driven by Jessica Marie Bloom, 21, who remains jailed in connection with the crash.

Smith is a 17-year Marine veteran who deployed four times and survived a roadside bomb blast. He was awarded a Bronze Star for valor.

Prosecutors in the case said the crash launched Smith onto the hood of the SUV and into the street. The SUV’s driver allegedly fled from the scene.

Bloom was arrested and her blood alcohol was measured at .37 percent, more than four times the presumed level of intoxication, according to the prosecutor. She faces up to nine years in prison if convicted.

City News Service contributed to this report.