New renovations unveiled at Selden home for paralyzed vet
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday outside a newly renovated home for a Marine veteran from Selden who was left paralyzed after a hit-and-run crash. Lance Cpl. Billy Ventura, 25, was left
•
Nov 17, 2016, 3:45 AM
•
Updated 2,956 days ago
Share:
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday outside a newly renovated home for a Marine veteran from Selden who was left paralyzed after a hit-and-run crash.
Lance Cpl. Billy Ventura, 25, was left paralyzed from the waist down after a hit-and-run motorcycle crash in Selden three years ago.
Community members and fellow veterans were on hand for the ceremony. The Ventura family says the new renovations will help give him back his independence inside a wheelchair-accessible home.
"The people care. They didn't forget about him," says his father. "It's hard to put into words. It's just an overwhelming experience."
Two years before Billy's hit-and-run crash, his brother, Jerry, also a Marine, died from complications with the medication he was taking for PTSD.
The Ventura family says Jerry has been with them every step of the way.
"I couldn't survive if I didn't believe one day I'd see him again," says mother Cyndi Ventura. "When my time comes, he'll be there waiting for me."
The renovations were made by Building Homes for Heroes. The Ventura home was its 96th home renovation.
More from News 12
1:56
STORM WATCH: Morning snow followed by deep cold on Long Island
0:21
MTA: Train strikes car near Central Islip; 1 hospitalized
0:23
Long Beach man pleads guilty to selling illegal guns in front of his home
0:30
Police: 72-year-old man killed in Long Beach crash
1:28
FDA announces new criteria for what foods can be considered healthy
