UFive Indian engineering students, who were seriously injured in a road accident in the US state of Texas, have received financial support of USD 55,000 through an online fundraiser here.
The public fundraising site crossed the USD 50,000 goal by collecting an amount of USD 55,072 in just three days of the portal’s opening.
The funds will cover medical costs and travel expenses to get the students’ families in India to the US.
The portal, which was initiated one week after the crash, raised USD 20,000 within 24 hours of its opening.
The collision occurred as the students, studying at Texas A&M University, were returning back after Thanksgiving break in New Orleans.
The car in which they were travelling collided head-on with a truck where the five students Pranan Kannan, 22; Akshay Jain, 22; Chiranjibi Boere, 23; Shachit Iyer, 23; and Kishan Bajaj, 24 were seriously injured and immediately taken to hospitals.
The wreck did not result in any fatalities, but Life flight helicopters took two students Jain and driver Kannan to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition.
All the injured students, except Akshay Jain, are recovering well to the treatment, hospital staff said.
Akshay, who was in coma for some days, has been stabilised and moved to the intermediate care unit.
“His physical body is fairing well–he is breathing on his own and we have started physical/occupational therapy to ensure that his joints remain flexible,” they said.
“We continue to remain hopeful and take it day by day,” they said.
Katy Mears, assistant director of Texas A&M International Student Services, said “there have been truly amazing efforts that have been done through ISS and chemical engineering. There’s been an outpouring of support from a variety of students.”
The creator of the page, Texas A&M student Kavita Sinha, did not respond to messages, but an update on the page under her name read, “I am so amazed by everyone’s generosity! I can’t believe that we have raised over USD 18,000 in less than 24 hours! Thank you to everyone and I know the families and students greatly appreciate it!”
