Community rallies to help injured hot rodder
(Courtesy photo) Jarin Hirschi and his son work on a 1918 Dodge rat rod. Friends and family are raising funds for Hirschi, who was badly injured in a collision last month.
SANDPOINT — Hot rod enthusiasts from around the region are converging next month to show their appreciation for the sport and to support an injured member of their tight-knit community.
Sagle resident and dedicated hot rodder Jarin Hirschi was badly injured in a head-on collision on the Walla Walla Highway with another motorist on Sept. 8, leaving him with a litany of injuries and mounting medical bills.
The hot rod community, however, is rallying around Hirschi to help his family cope with the medical costs. They set up a Jarin Hirschi Medical Fundraiser on Facebook and the Oct. 5 Freaks & Rats Car & Bike Show in Spokane Valley will serve as a fundraiser for Hirschi. The Freaks & Rats show runs from 3-7 p.m. at the Lone Wolf Harley-Davidson. Hirschi’s beloved but ruined 1918 Dodge coupe rat rod will be on display to serve as inspiration for car enthusiasts looking to modify their rigs.
Hirschi is convalescing at Life Care Center in Sandpoint. He has two broken femurs, a severely broken kneecap, a fractured elbow, a torn lung and a compression fracture in his back. He’s undergone more than 11 hours of surgeries.
The Washington State Patrol said Maria Lara, 55, was driving southbound when she failed to negotiate a curve and crashed into Hirschi, who was in a procession of vehicles returning from an excursion to a Wheelin’ Walla Walla event.
Hirschi’s wife, Ashley, said the way in which the Dodge disintegrated spared her husband’s life. She said the frame was ripped in half, but the steering arm kept him from being ejected and caused the engine and transition to wind up on the ground instead of his lap.
“The way it broke apart, it saved his life,” Ashley Hirschi said, adding that none of her husband’s welds on the vehicle broke.
Ashley Hirschi said her husband stripped the car down to its bare metal and converted it from a touring car to a coupe.
“He drove it everywhere,” she said, noting a 500-mile run to southern Idaho and a 1,300-mile trek during a poker run. “It truly was one of a kind.”
It’s unclear how long Jarin Hirschi will be laid up due to his severely restricted mobility.
“He needs help to get out of bed and to move around,” she said.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.