COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho.— Carolyn Meyer was on vacation when she received a call that sent her rushing home.
Her friend and coworker, Ellen Brown, was involved in one of the series of intentional car crashes on Friday in North Idaho.
“That was her little blue Subaru, wrapped around the pole,” Meyer said.
Brown and Meyer have been childcare workers at The Salvation Army Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene for five years.
“She’s my right hand gal, just a wonderful woman,” Meyer said.
When she arrived at the hospital, she found her friend and her friend’s daughter in critical condition and with major upcoming surgeries. She knew they would need support in the recovery process.
So she started a GoFundMe page to collect donations and help offset the cost of some of their medical expenses.
“I said, ‘I have to do something,’ and that’s what started the GoFundMe page,” Meyer said.
So far the page has collected a little more than $3,000. Meyer said she hopes people will continue to give.
“Just do what you can for them,” she said. “This shouldn’t have happened to them. It was not an accident. It was a malicious act. As a community, I know how well we support each other, and that’s what I’m asking for.”
Meyer said a community member has also provided Brown and her daughter with a home to stay in when they are released from the hospital.