Retired Oakland kindergarten teacher likely paralyzed after crash

( KRON ) — An Oakland pastor and retired kindergarten teacher is facing mounting medical bills after a crash left him possibly paralyzed, the Oakland Unified School District said.

Rickie Hannah’s car was stopped when he was rear-ended by a speeding truck on Feb. 14, OUSD said. He suffered a severe spinal injury in the crash.

Since then, he has been in the Intensive Care Unit, has had multiple surgeries and has been in multiple hospitals. His family has started a GoFundMe page for him and is hoping to raise $100,000 to help with his medical bills.

Hannah has been told he will never walk again but is hoping to regain mobility through physical therapy work, per OUSD.

“We are tremendously grateful that he survived this accident. However, he requires extensive therapy and assistance navigating this huge change in his life. With hard work, he has made some progress and intends to continue working towards regaining his independence,” the GoFundMe said.

Hannah was an OUSD teacher for 35 years before retiring in 2022. He continued to work as a pastor before the crash.

As a teacher, he worked at Highland Child Development Center (CDC), Piedmont Avenue CDC, Sequoia CDC and Howard Elementary, which is now Oakland Academy of Knowledge. He taught kindergarten and preschool.

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