On the evening of Friday, September 1, Rebecca Voelkel, Maggie George, Susie George, and Michael George were involved in a serious car accident. Everyone is thankfully in stable condition and expected to fully recover. And, while this event has not caused life-threatening injuries, it has certainly caused life-changing ones.

Rebecca sustained extensive injuries, including two broken legs, massive damage to her knees, and a potential fractured vertebra; she had surgery the night of the accident, and is expected to need at least one further surgery. Given the extent of her injuries, Rebecca will have a long road toward recovery, and will likely require significant rehab and physical therapy over the coming weeks and months.

Susie’s hip was dislocated, and Michael had trauma to his sternum and aggravated a pre-existing back injury; both have already undergone surgery, with possible further surgery(ies) to come. Maggie sustained several fractured ribs, and will hopefully be discharged soon. All four are currently at Regions Hospital, where they are receiving excellent care.

Rebecca and Maggie’s child, Shannon, is with other family members while her parents receive care and heal.

We are at the very beginning of what will doubtless be a long journey toward healing for Rebecca, Maggie, Susie, and Michael and their families. Because they are each and all so beloved to their communities, they are already surrounded by support to take care of immediate needs and logistics. We will know more as time goes on, and we will update here as we know more about the extent of everyone’s injuries and their evolving care and needs.

We do know, however, that the financial and logistical impacts of such a serious accident will be extensive. From possible stays in rehab facilities to temporary relocation to accessible housing to ongoing therapy and in-home support, we anticipate that between all four people costs could reach as high as $100,000 in the coming months. We have created this GoFundMe in anticipation of the many costs that will arise, and as a way for Rebecca, Maggie, Susie, and Michael’s community to offer tangible support in the wake of such a trauma. The family will make decisions among themselves about how to apportion the money so everyone has their needs met.

The family is incredibly grateful for the wide web of community who is already sharing so much care and support, and offers their thanks in advance for your prayers, love, and generosity.

We invite you to share this broadly, and to contribute as generously as you can. You can also follow the healing journeys of the family on Caring Bridge, and if you are local, stay tuned and sign up to provide meals through MealTrain when we have information about when this will be helpful. As of this initial posting, the family would prefer cards and calls to visits at this point (although please understand if they are not able to immediately respond to your loving outreach).