Patchogue Resident Raises Funds To Help Friend Injured In Crash

PATCHOGUE, NY — A Patchogue resident is looking to help her friend who was injured in a serious crash that occurred on New Year's.

Shannon Torre recently started a GoFundMe page on behalf of her friend, Nicole Gomez, who was injured after a crash on Friday, Jan. 1.

Gomez was driving home late at night when her car hydroplaned on the parkway in the rain. She lost control of her car and ended up going over the guardrail and crashed into a tree. The local fire department had to cut her car open to get her out while a good Samaritan called her family for her.

After the crash, Gomez was hospitalized, suffering from 11 broken ribs, a broken collarbone, broken wrist and pelvis, as well as a ruptured leg and a bruised lung.

"While I am in a massive amount of pain, my ability to even be typing this is a blessing and reminder of how fragile life can be," Gomez said.

Torre later started the fundraising campaign to help raise $6,000 to help Gomez and her family during this difficult time.

"I have known Nicole for a few months through work, and in this short time we’ve grown incredibly close," she told Patch. "She is such a warm person who makes the day better. She is also an extremely hard worker who always puts others before herself. As unfortunate as her accident was, I am eternally grateful that she is alive."

Torre said the donations will go towards "alleviating the financial burden that came with the accident as well as her injuries."

As of Monday, the page has nearly reached its goal, raising $5,562.

"No one expects that they’ll be in this situation, and I wanted to do what I could to help her and her family through it," she said. "Her only focus right now should be recovering."

Last Thursday, Gomez provided an update on her condition:

I’m healing slowly [and] better, I wanted to thank everyone who has reached out to me or donated to my gofund me! This has been the scariest week of my life but I’m slowly making progress. My lungs have recovered and I can breathe without a tube in my chest, I can also stand a bit almost on my own. The biggest thing is gaining my ability to walk again and gaining my leg strength back from my pelvis but I’m expected to make a full recovery from all of my injuries.

To read more or to donate, visit the GoFundMe here.