A GoFundMe hub, created to support the families of those who died in the DC plane crash, has raised almost half a million dollars.
The page collates separate appeals for plane crash victims, and so far includes Casey Crafton, Wendy Jo Shaffer, Mikey Stovall, Justyna Beyer, and her daughter Brielle. Between them, the appeals have raised $498,231 in just 14 hours.
The American Airlines jet was on the final approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., when it collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter claiming the lives of 67 people.
So far, 40 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River as well as two vital black boxes, a cockpit voice recorder, and a flight data recorder, which have all been taken for lab analysis, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
Casey Crafton, a husband and father of three, of Salem, Connecticut, was flying home Wednesday from Wichita on the ill-fated Flight 5342 but was only part of the way home as Washington D.C. was only meant to be a stopover.
So far, $8,185 has been raised on his behalf and proceeds are going to his now-widowed wife and three children.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, Nathan, husband and father to “two beautiful boys aged three and one”, now mourns the loss of his wife, Wendy Jo Shaffer, who was on board the American Eagles plane.
A statement on behalf of the Shaffer family read: “[Wendy’s] love, kindness, and unwavering spirit touched everyone who knew her, and her absence leaves a void that can never be filled.
Funds raised on the hub for the family have totaled $242,593 and will go towards “funeral expenses, childcare, education, and the day-to-day needs of the family as they adjust to life without their beloved wife and mother”, the page read.
In Wichita, Kansas City, a family is mourning the loss of Kiah Duggins, described as “a radiant light, a brilliant mind, and a fierce advocate for justice”.
Duggins was a Harvard-trained civil rights attorney who dedicated “her life to fighting for freedom, equity, and the liberation of marginalized communities”, read the fundraiser.
Mother and daughter, Justyna and Brielle Beyer were identified early on as they had been traveling home from a figure skating competition – an event 12-year-old Brielle had been competing at in Wichita.
Brielle “had dreams as big as the sky”, while her mother reportedly “sacrificed so much to provide for Brielle's future as an Olympic figure skater”, read the post. Their fundraiser has raised $39,588.
The hub continues to be updated as more details of the victims emerge.
