The family of a couple injured in a remote-controlled airplane crash near Watsonville last week has launched a fundraiser to cover costs for missed work and hospital fees.
Christine D’Amore and Jon Carr were standing on a porch for a firework viewing party at a friend’s house when the plane crashed. A bouncy house with children, including Carr’s daughter, was next to the porch, according to a GoFundMe started by D’Amore’s sister, Stacy McClanahan.
The GoFundMe had raised more than $5,850 out of a $20,000 goal as of early Friday morning.
D’Amore’s and Carr’s injuries were not considered life-threatening, according to Santa Cruz County sheriff’s Sgt. Zach West.
D’Amore received emergency surgery to remove airplane shrapnel from her body, and Carr is expected be hospitalized for several weeks as he awaits skin grafts, McClanahan wrote. The emergency medical technicians who responded to the crash told D’Amore and Carr that had the plane crashed just a few inches over, they likely would have died, she elaborated.
The small, remote-controlled plane was a part of the Watsonville Municipal Airport “Fire in the Sky” Open House that took place that day, according to West. The plane’s operator has remained cooperative throughout the investigation, he said.
Watsonville’s City Manager’s Office in a statement following the crash said that it remains “committed to ensuring all City events are conducted safely.”
“Our thoughts are with the two people who were injured during this unfortunate incident. We are hoping for their safe and speedy recovery,” the statement said.
Photos released by the Sheriff’s Office showed a hole in a wooden porch, with exposed wires and broken pieces of a red and white RC plane scattered in the area. McClanahan wrote that the house’s living room “got sprayed by fuel and blood” and “the deck where Jon and Christine stood has a hole punched in it.”
“We’re still waiting for answers. Meanwhile, my sister is in pain and is traumatized. She is in a hospital that isn’t nearby. Jon is awaiting surgery in another hospital. they’re separated from each other and their kids,” she wrote. “We want to ensure that they get the care they need.”