After a 4 a.m. Sunrise Highway crash left a 14-year-old teen seriously injured while riding his bike, the community is rallying around him and his family.
A GoFundMe campaign created by family friend Emily Wick aims to support Ariel Angerame of Massapequa and her 14-year-old son, Tyler, who suffered devastating injuries Saturday when he was struck by a car while riding a bike in Massapequa Park.
It has already drawn an outpouring of generosity, raising over $60,000.
The boy faces a long and difficult recovery according to Wick, who said on Facebook that the boy’s badly injured legs required surgery and that he “also suffered a shattered shoulder.” Further, she said on the GoFundMe page Angerame is a single mom facing overwhelming medical expenses related to her son’s injures and recovery.
Donations continue
More than 700 donations have poured into the GoFundMe page over the last two days.
“While we remain hopeful, his injuries are severe and his recovery will be a long and uncertain road,” Wick wrote. “Tyler is a fun-loving, bright young man with a big heart and an amazing personality. Anyone who knows him will tell you he has a way of making people smile and lighting up a room.”
Police said the boy was struck just after 4 a.m. by a 2023 Kia Forte that was heading east on Sunrise Highway. Authorities added that the driver remained at the scene.
‘Not fighting alone’
The fundraising campaign explains that Angerame will need to step away from work to care for her only child as he undergoes multiple surgeries and extended medical treatment. Donations will help cover medical bills as well as living expenses while she focuses on his recovery, Wick wrote.
On Sunday, Wick posted an update thanking the community for its generosity.
“Every donation, message, and prayer has meant the world to his mom, Ariel,” she wrote. “[Tyler] has a long road ahead, but with the strength of this incredible community behind him, we know he is not fighting alone.”
Top photo: GoFundMe
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article misidentified the woman in above photo as Tyler’s mom. It is his aunt.
