SCRANTON -- There was a packed house Sunday at a benefit in Scranton for a DPW worker who was injured by an alleged hit and run driver.
Friends and family gathered at Morgan'z Pub on Green Ridge Street in Scranton to raise money for Steve Pierson. Pierson's parents were in awe of the turnout. "I didn't think my son mattered to anybody," said Steve's mother Suzanne Pieson. She added, "It's just unbelievable that people came out for him."
Police say Pierson was injured by a hit and run driver while he was collecting trash in Scranton last month.
Maxwell Materazzi-Hatala of Old Forge has been charged with injuring Pierson and leaving the scene of the crash.
While Pierson wasn't well enough to make it to Sunday's benefit after spending several weeks in the hospital, he was recently transferred to Allied Services in Scranton where his family says he is making great progress.
His mother said, "They named this fundraiser Steve's incredible journey. Let me tell you it is incredible. He has five hours of therapy a day. He is walking on one leg."
Suzanne says that after the crash, her son had to undergo vascular surgery because three veins in one leg were severed. She says while nobody knows how well that leg can heal, her family is hoping for the best.
The family is especially glad to have Steve closer to home, especially during the holidays.
The money raised at Sunday's benefit in Scranton will help with Pierson's expenses, like transportation to doctor's appointments.