A man who has been serving up sweet treats to Milford children for generations was recently injured in a car crash - and the community is now rallying around the legendary ice cream man.

Richie Anderson has been a staple in neighborhoods, at Eisenhower Park, the baseball fields and beaches for decades.

Milford resident Allison Berlingo has been a fan since she was 5 years old - now, at 40 years old, her kids are too.

"It doesn’t matter where we are. We can be in the house and they’re in the front window when they hear the bell. We can be out in the pool, they’ll jump out because they hear the bell," says Berlingo about how her sons react to the sound of the ice cream truck.

"As long as we’ve lived here, he’s been frequenting our house, sometimes daily," she says.

But that eagerly awaited bell hasn't been heard since June 29.

Anderson was in a serious accident in his ice cream truck on Orange Avenue and remains hospitalized. Milford police say he was hit by another driver at the intersection with Pullman Drive.

"We'd heard there had been an accident with an ice cream truck and I said, 'Oh my goodness, if this is Richie, I’m going to be devastated,'" Berlingo says.

Berlingo set up a GoFundMe account to help her favorite ice cream man with medical bills and hopefully getting back on the road.

Comments on the fundraising page mention Anderson's kindness and generosity - even giving kids without cash a pass.

"He loves to tell stories. He loves animals," Berlingo says.

Berlingo's dogs Apollo and Penny can vouch - they also indulge in pup-friendly ice cream.

"When they hear that bell, they too go running," says Berlingo.

The GoFundMe has raised more than $8,700.