How you can help the NJ family that had a car fly into their home

It’s rare that I will promote a GoFundMe campaign online. It’s not because I don’t like to give charity. Nor is it because I don’t have a heart for some of the sad and tragic causes I see out there. In fact, that’s why it’s so difficult to share.

Because there are so many sad stories that I feel like it’s unfair to the people whose campaigns I DON’T share. Plus, you have to distinguish the legitimate cases from the scams. So how do you choose?

In this case, the charity will benefit the friend of a friend. So it feels closer to me.

On Sunday, John Nunn, 27, who was reportedly drunk, was driving east on Route 57 in Washington Township around 2:30 a.m. when he tried to pass two other vehicles, lost control, struck a mailbox and a stone pillar that became a sort of ramp and flew airborne into Kim and Tim Terrys’ 2nd-floor bedroom in their beautiful Washington farmhouse.

His passenger, Tyler Balog, was killed. The impact sent Kim (wife, mother, new grandmother, and a registered nurse who aides the ill of Warren County) in an airlift to the hospital in critical condition. Unfortunately, Kim’s dog, also in the bedroom, did not survive the impact.

Tim (a self-employed landscape designer and septic systems installer who has been a member of the Washington community since the '80s) was in another room at the moment of impact and was able to call for help.

According to the GoFundMe and to friends of theirs that I know, Tim and Kim are a staple in this bucolic Warren County community and have been nothing but model citizens. For them to be the victims of another's illegal actions while she slept safely in her pretty farmhouse is heartbreaking beyond words.

To know that they've lost their dog and their home is too much to bear. They're also recently first-time grandparents. It’s heartbreaking that with life reaping its rewards, Kim’s life is now hanging in the balance.

The administrator of the GoFundMe, Ryan Dunphy, says “Blessings and sincere sympathy, of course, go to Tyler Balog, Nunn's passenger; our hearts and prayers are with his family.”

The latest update from Dunphy, says that Kim is “Still critical but stable. Hopefully only one more surgery to go. She’s being strong but still needs prayers"

There’s a $300,000 goal, which will go directly to the family for their needs at this critical time. As as of this writing, they’ve raised $59,188. The goal seems a long way off, but if you really think about it, imagine if everyone who read this donated $5 or 10?

We could literally change the lives of this family who has seen unfathomable tragedy. The link to the GoFundMe can be found here.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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