(photo by Paul Sureddin, taken early 2008)
It’s been more than a month since we found out that a Beacon Hill crash had left West Seattle restaurateur Wah Wong, 67, and his 22-year-old son Jason Wong badly hurt. Wah Wong’s one-man labor of love Jade West Cafe (map) has been closed ever since; well-wishers have put cards on the door; and a fund has been set up. Tonight, new information in this writeup sent to news organizations by Wah Wong’s daughter Janet Wong:

After many surgeries and over a month of being in the hospital, 22-year old Jason Wong will finally be released from the hospital since his accident.

On December 12th, Jason was helping take luggage out of his dad’s trunk when out of a nowhere a 1998 black Chevy Corvette came barreling down on South Columbian Way. The Corvette veered off the street and struck both Jason and father, Wah Wong, in their front yard pinning the two between the front of the Corvette and their own car. The family later learned the driver was drunk. The drunk driver was arrested and booked in the King County Jail.

Despite the release from the hospital, it will take many months to rehabilitate his foot. Jason’s left leg was so badly injured that his left leg was amputated. The family’s hope is for Jason to walk again.

Sister, Janet Wong, says, “He has been bedridden for the last month and will continue to be for the next few months. As soon as his leg is healed, he will need to be fitted for a prosthetic. Then rehabilitation will begin. The timing is a little tricky since he is unable to use his right foot. He will be able to do some kind of rehabilitation, but the big question is how much and how soon. We see long and intensive rehabilitation for Jason’s future.”

Jason’s Father, Wah Wong, is currently at Leon Sullivan Skilled Nursing Facility. Wah had leg surgery two weeks ago and is now in a cast. He continues to wear a neck brace for his fractured vertebrae, which will be removed in the next week or so. There is no discharge date for him at this time.

“We hope to have my dad home soon so he can recover comfortably there. Otherwise, things are progressing well for him and he will possibly need a little physical therapy,” says Janet.

Wah has been running the family restaurant, Jade West Café, for the last 22 years. Wah mostly runs the restaurant by himself. He does everything from cooking to cleaning to tending to his customers. Over the many years, he has built a solid customer base with many loyal customers who return to enjoy his food and friendship. Due to the accident, he will not be ready to return to work for another few months, if at all.

In the meantime, the house will undergo some renovations to accommodate Jason.

If you would like to help, please donate to “Save Jade West Café” at any Wells Fargo Bank. Your donations will help to cover mounting medical bills for the family.

The driver charged with vehicular assault in the case, 50-year-old Rodney James, remains in King County Jail, bail set at $250,000. Online court records indicate another pretrial hearing in his case is scheduled this week.