PARAMUS — As the driver of the school bus slammed by a dump truck spends the weekend in jail, one of the severely injured boys got words of encouragement from one of his favorite teams.

Eli Manning and Landon Collins of the New York Giants sent words of encouragement via video to Brendan O'Callaghan. His dad, Arnie, shared the message on Facebook.

"I'm just coming to tell you I wish you a speedy recovery and get well soon," Collins said.

"I just wanted  to reach out to everyone at East Brook Middle School and let you know that everyone at the Giants is thinking about you and praying for you during this tough time," the quarterback said. "So stay together, stay close, keep your family and friends, rely on each other and you'll get through this."

"Thanks the Giants for everything," Brendan responded.

Brendan continues his recovery from a fractured temple bone, a punctured lung and a broken collarbone. His nose will have to be reconstructed.

The fourth grade students at Ridge Ranch and Memorial Elementary Schools planned a fundraiser for Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  in the parking lot of the Paramus Elks Lodge to raise $100,000 for the Paramus Children's Health Foundation.

The bus driver, Hudy Muldrow Sr., made his first court appearance Friday on two counts of second-degree death by auto. A Morris County prosecutor said Muldrow is expected to face more charges as a result of the more than three dozen injuries caused by the crash. Prosecutors are seeking to keep him locked up pending trial. He faces five to 10 years in prison if found guilty of the most serious charges.

After the hearing, Willie Clark, an elder at Mount Zion Fire Baptized Holiness Church, said Muldrow is a religious man who helped the church by shoveling snow and clearing ice in the winter.

"This is a good man," he said. "It's just so unfortunate this happened. ... My heart goes out to the family that lost loved ones. There's no winner in this situation."'

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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