Donations Pour In For Man Paralyzed In Fair Lawn Firearm Accident

STATEN ISLAND, NY — Joseph Tsomik was visiting his uncle in Fair Lawn a week ago when the unthinkable happened.

Tsomik was looking at a gun owned by his uncle when it unexpectedly fired, striking Tsomik in the neck. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he is conscious but paralyzed from the neck down, according to a silive.com report. Read more: 1 Injured In Accidental Shooting: Fair Lawn Police

According to family friends there's still a chance Tsomik, 40, of Staten Island, New York, will be able to walk again, but it'll mean costly surgery.

"Doctors do not know if he will ever walk again or even if he will be able to use his arms. His only chance of some recovery at this point is neuro/spinal surgery by the hands of a very competent surgical trauma team," wrote Irine Korenblit, who created a GoFundMe page for whatever medical costs may come.

That fundraiser started Sunday, and has already collected $173,000 from 868 donors for the family.

Those close to Tsomik, an Associate Real Estate Broker at Homes R Us Realty, say they are in the process of getting him transferred to a Manhattan hospital for surgery.

"We are all in the process of trying to get Joey transferred to Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, which we have been informed is his greatest chance of success. However, insurance issues and bureaucracy have made us hit a wall," Korenblit said.

As family and friends continue to push forward, Tsomik remains at St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson. He's on a ventilator, but conscious, according to silive.com.

But as the bureaucracy and frustrations continue, uncertainty lingers.

"I want my husband to have a quiet life. I want him to play with my kids, run with my kids," said Monalisa Tsomik, Joseph's wife, in an interview with silive.

To see the GoFundMe page, click here.

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