Nick Chehade is a crew member at Trader Joe’s in Hadley, MA, where he’s worked for 2.5 years. On November 29, 2024, Nick was at work when a manager performed maintenance on a piece of HVAC equipment. This piece of equipment was overdue for maintenance, and the work was supposed to happen when the store was empty of customers and crew. For reasons unknown, this manager failed to take those precautions and performed maintenance on this equipment with employees present.

As a result, Nick received a blast of contaminated, particulate-filled smoke and dust right to the face. We don’t know exactly what that air contained, but Nick has been unable to work since this accident. He is suffering from serious symptoms including nerve pain, headaches, and nausea and is currently on a leave of absence from Trader Joe’s while he receives medical care.

Nick is in need of immediate funds to cover rent, food, and other expenses because he cannot work, and does not know when he will be able to return to work.

This GoFundMe has been put together by Nick’s coworkers in Hadley. Any amount helps support Nick during this difficult time.