Help Matt Replace His Totaled Car

Story

Hello, my name is Matt. I'm an undergraduate student at Oregon State University; I'm here because I lost my car in a serious accident about a week ago, and I need help replacing it. The car was totaled and I sustained injuries that are delaying attempts to find work. The public transit here won’t be an adequate replacement, and the OSU campus and the closest job opportunities are both several miles away. I live in the most rent-burdened community in Oregon, and I’m struggling to pay rent because of health problems that diminished the income from my summer job. For these reasons, I am unable to afford a replacement vehicle on my own. I have no immediate family capable of helping me replace my car at this time. I’m not proud of it, but crowdfunding is the only way I’ll be able to replace my car. The accident happened on the Alsea highway, due to a combination of malfunctioning headlights and faulty rear suspension. At the start of my drive home, I noticed that my headlights were dimmer than usual. It was dark by the time I passed Alsea; I was going 55 mph along a straight section of road when I suddenly approached a slight curve that wasn’t initially visible. I tried braking, but lost control of the car immediately, spinning out and flipping over into the opposite lane. Upon crawling out of the car, the headlights from an approaching vehicle illuminated severe lacerations on my left hand and left elbow. I spent most of that evening in the ER; luckily, the only injury aside from the lacerations is a minor fracture in my thumb. A few days later, I went to the towing company to see the car. It was a 1996 Toyota Camry with 323,000 miles; it had some minor problems, but it seemed safe to drive. My heart sank when I saw the car; there was no way I could’ve afforded the necessary repairs. I couldn’t cover the towing fees either, and was forced to release the car to the towing company as salvage. Because of the age and mileage on the car, there was no payout from my insurance company, either. Afterwards, a friend who’s knowledgeable about cars informed me that failure of the rear suspension likely caused the accident. I intended to have the suspension inspected this summer, but the health problems I experienced prevented me from doing so. These health problems would have inevitably caused financial stress, but without a vehicle, it is much harder to pursue solutions. Compounding matters are three incomplete grades that I need to address; they all resulted from the same health problems that impacted my income. One will expire in December and the others need to be completed by January. My health issues are improving, and I’m confident that I can handle the work, but I also need to focus on paying rent. I can’t retake any more courses, either. Letting the incomplete grades expire might impact graduation, and I’ll end up homeless if I can’t pay rent. I might be able to handle these challenges without assistance, but trying to afford a new vehicle as well is beyond my limits right now, even without health issues. Thank you for your support. If I had some other strategy for affording a new car, I wouldn’t have resorted to crowdfunding, but things will get much harder if I don’t overcome the other challenges I’m facing.