Merced family raising money to help victim of crash caused by loose horse
The family of a Merced woman involved in a major-injury crash that happened after a loose horse wandered onto a highway has created a GoFundMe acount to help with recovery and transportation expenses.
The crash happened May 6 on northbound Highway 41 south of Coarsegold, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A 59-year-old man driving a Honda CR-V stopped for the horse, but a 71-year-old Merced man driving a Honda Accord south on the highway didn’t see the horse standing in the middle of the highway and collided with it.
The impact redirected the Accord to the southeast, where it struck the front of the stopped CR-V, the CHP said. The Accord skidded off the roadway and tumbled down an embankment. Its driver suffered major head injuries and was taken by air ambulance to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno.
The Accord carried three passengers, all from Merced, ranging in age from 51 to 75 years old. Each passenger was transported by air ambulance to CRMC for treatment of moderate to major head injuries.
“We are beyond grateful that they survived, but this accident has left our family struggling emotionally, physically, and financially,” Strella Gutierrez said in the GoFundMe post. “My grandma now needs extra support getting to and from medical appointments, and my mom has lost reliable transportation she depended on to get to work and care for our family.”
As of Monday morning, $105 has been raised out of a goal of $2,000.
