Jordan Stannard was injured in Venice after a truck hit another vehicle and veered toward his family.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles father lost his left foot after he pushed his 2-year-old daughter into the family car moments before an out-of-control truck struck him in Venice, leaving the child unharmed and the father hospitalized.
Jordan Stannard, 38, was loading his daughter, Sadie, into a car near Venice Boulevard and Abbot Kinney Boulevard when the crash unfolded. The injury has left Stannard facing a long recovery while his family works through medical care, housing needs and the sudden limits caused by the amputation. The crash has drawn attention because Stannard’s split-second move kept his daughter from being hit.
Stannard had been with his wife, Julie, their 2-year-old daughter and their newborn daughter after a stop at a grocery store in Venice. He said he was putting Sadie into the family vehicle when he saw a truck coming toward them after it struck a Mercedes SUV that was waiting for a parking space. “I literally just threw her into the car,” Stannard said. He said he remembers the truck hitting his body and twisting him around. Sadie was not injured. Stannard said the force and damage to his lower body were clear right away, comparing the injury to the aftermath of an explosion.
The truck was described as a GMC that first hit the Mercedes SUV before veering toward Stannard and his daughter. The crash happened at a busy Venice intersection known for heavy foot traffic, restaurants, shops and drivers moving through a tight commercial area near Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Officials have not publicly released a full crash report, and key details remain unknown, including the truck driver’s speed, the driver’s condition and whether any citation or criminal case is being reviewed. Stannard suffered the most serious injury to his left foot. Doctors were unable to save the foot and ankle, and his right foot also was injured, though less severely.
Stannard has been recovering at UCLA Medical Center. The family said his medical needs are expected to extend beyond the hospital stay because he will have to adjust to life after the amputation and protect his other injuries as they heal. A fundraiser organized for the family said Stannard, Julie, Sadie and their 6-week-old daughter, Shae, will need to leave their three-story condominium for a temporary single-story home better suited to his recovery. The fundraiser had drawn more than $110,000 by July 1. Family supporters described the housing search as urgent because stairs and tight spaces could make daily care harder once Stannard leaves the hospital.
The crash added a sudden trauma to what had been a young family’s routine outing. Stannard said he has focused on the fact that Sadie survived without injury. “As I get further away from the accident, I’m just more and more thankful for that, because I can’t even begin to think of what could have happened to her,” he said. He also said he would make the same choice again. “If you told me, ‘You just have to trade your foot to be with your daughters for the rest of your life,’ that’s a trade that I would make all day long,” he said.
Stannard’s recovery now includes medical treatment, family planning and the larger question of how he will move through daily life after losing part of his leg. No public announcement has identified a court date, formal charge or completed investigative finding tied to the crash. Authorities are expected to determine the sequence of events, whether the truck driver violated traffic laws and whether any other factors contributed. For Stannard, the next steps are more personal and immediate: healing from surgery, protecting his right foot, finding a suitable temporary home and preparing for rehabilitation.
Stannard has described himself as an athlete and has said he does not want the crash to define how his daughters remember him. He said he hopes to stay focused on being present for Sadie and Shae, even as the injury changes his daily life. “I have a responsibility to my daughters to be the best dad that I can be,” he said. He said he does not want them to grow up remembering him as angry after the accident. He has also set a goal of running the Los Angeles Marathon next year.
The family remained focused on Stannard’s recovery as of Thursday, July 2, while investigators had not publicly announced final findings in the Venice crash. His daughter was unharmed, and Stannard remained hospitalized after the amputation.
Author note: Last updated July 2, 2026.