A heroic Venice dad sacrificed his leg to save his 2-year-old daughter from a speeding truck in a split-second act of bravery last month.
Jordan Stannard, 38, hurled little Sadie into the safety of his car moments before the devastating impact, losing his leg in the crash.
In the terrifying seconds before the collision, he had just one thought: save his daughter.
“My first thought was, ‘Get Sadie into a safe place,’ so I basically threw her into the cabin of my car,” he told KTLA.
Stannard suffered crippling injuries after the vehicle lost control and hit him. Bystanders screamed and called 911 when they saw him seriously injured from the crash.
“I just remember everyone around me screaming,” he said. “Some people were screaming, ‘Call 911!’”
Stannard, an athletic man who ran marathons and competed in Ironman competitions, would quickly have to adjust to a different life. Doctors at UCLA Medical Center told him that his left leg would need to be amputated after he sustained “significant trauma” to his left foot and lesser damage to his right.
He said he’s committed to his recovery, which has already proven to be very expensive. The family is asking for $120,000 in a GoFundMe and has already raised about $118,000 so far.
“Even with health insurance, the financial burden ahead will be significant. Rehabilitation, adaptive equipment, housing needs, and time away from work will create substantial challenges for the family,” the family said.
Stannard is grateful that he’s around to see his daughter Sadie and his other six-month-old daughter.
“I have two daughters, so you have to do what you have to do to get back to holding your daughters and chasing your kids around, to helping your wife out with raising the kids,” he said.
He believes he should be released from the hospital soon, and he has grand goals.
The father wants to run a marathon again, specifically the 2027 Los Angeles marathon.
“I want to get right back to doing the same things that I was doing before,” he said.
