SAN DIEGO — On Memorial Day, Dave Hendon and Marc Gervais were in a horrific car accident. Dave died from his injuries.
Marc is now at Scripps Mercy fighting for his life. You may not recognize their names, but you will definitely remember their story.
Jeff Zevely first introduced us to them in 2020 after a guy in New Jersey spotted Marc and Dave on the Ace Tatoo surf cam. They were picking up trash every morning around the OB pier.
“You know, we're dog lovers and I'd hate to see a dog step on a piece of glass and cut their paws,” Marc told Jeff back then.
Jeff learned that the two men were homeless – living out of their van with their dog, Pico. He also discovered that they’d been doing this for years, donating their time at 4am to make OB a better place.
“We're homeless, not moral-less,” Marc said.
Their stories touched CBS 8 viewers who donated thousands of dollars to help them get an apartment. And despite their newfound cash and fame, they still got up early every morning to clean the beach.
On Monday, Marc was driving on Ingraham and looked away for a split second to see if the lane next to him was clear. When he looked back he says traffic in front of him suddenly stopped. He slammed into the car in front of him.
“I killed my best friend,” Marc told us by phone from his hospital room. “If I had just been paying more attention, I don't what I could have done... it just happened so damn fast.”
Marc needs surgery, but doctors aren't sure his heart can take the stress. In typical Marc fashion, he's not worried about himself. Instead, he's thinking about Pico and taking care of Dave's remains.
“I'm just lost,” he said. “I don't know what to do. I just want to cry.”
Also weighing on Marc - without Dave he can't afford to stay in his apartment. “I'm definitely going to be homeless again. I can't get away from that. No way I can afford it myself.”
Friends have set up a new donation site to help pay for Dave's cremation and keep Marc in his apartment.
Marc is still grateful for the last fundraiser. It means more now than ever.
“I cannot tell you how grateful I am that Dave died with a place to live. That was huge. He didn't die homeless," he said.