Community raising money for crash victims

Our community is coming together to help the victims of DUI c rash that happened exactly one week ago.

Within just five days the community has raised nearly $5,000 for the Patch family who lost their mother and left their father critically injured following the crash.

Family and friends said these events are just another reason the Yuma community is something special and has helped them through this difficult time.

A married couple of 44 years were coming back home from a date when they were rear-ended by a suspected drunk driver in Y uma .

On Saturday, residents in our community are hoping to raise money by filling Victoria Meadows Park full of people in support of this local couple.

66-year-old Maria Patch, a cancer survivor, died at the scene. Her husband, 70-year-old John Patch, was flown to a Phoenix-area hospital and remains in critical condition.

Loved ones will be selling chicken and fruit cups with the hopes of seeing members of the community there in honor of the couple.

“I want to say thank you for all of the funding. All of the people are very generous and the one person that just stroke to me a moment ago in the go fund me page. I don’t know if I can say her name but I can say her initials a.M. She was at the scene holding my dad’s head and watched my mother take her last breath. So I want to say thank you for their help.”

Along with a cookout , a local church is stepping in on Monday by washing cars for a minimum donation of $10.

“This is our opportunity as Y uma , as a community coming together to bless those in need and bless the victims’ family. They are hurting right now and it’s our job as a community to take it on, carry the burden, and bless them as much as we can,” said Jade Bloomfield from Champion Church.

The goal is to raise about $10,000 over the next month to help with medical and funeral expenses.