Help Team Jacob Tackle Traumatic Brain Injury

Jacob’s dad Greg is a burly guy who likes judo and rowing. He is usually calm under pressure in his demanding IT job, but he was an emotional wreck when he called us on the phone just a week ago, crying and saying, “Jacob was hit by a car and is in a coma. My son! We don’t know if he will survive.”

More than a week later, Jacob is still unconscious, sedated in the ICU, on a ventilator. His condition is more stable, but there is certain to be a long road ahead to recovery. As bad as this nightmare is, we do not want it to get worse because of lack of resources -- we want Jacob to have a fair chance. We know that it will require a lot of care, friends, and money. We, friends of Jacob’s family, want to help and ask for some help as well.

First, let us tell you a little about Jacob. Jacob Klugerman is a kind, loving 16-year-old high school sophomore in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. On March 4, 2024, at 7:45 pm, just a few days before his 16th birthday, Jacob was coming home from his usual daily workout session at the New York Sports Club on Saw Mill River Parkway in Dobbs Ferry. Because he was too young to drive, he walked after school every day between his home and the club. As he was crossing at the intersection of the parkway and Lawrence Street, he was struck by a car traveling northbound.

He was hit in the midsection and thrown many feet along the highway. Fortunately, the car’s passenger called 911, and they were able to get police and an ambulance to the scene very quickly. However, Jacob suffered internal injuries, including a serious brain bleed, and was rushed to the ICU at Westchester Medical Center, where he currently remains. The doctors say that he will live and has a good prognosis overall but will need extensive rehabilitation when he gets out of the hospital.

Until the day of the accident, Jacob was a typical 15-year-old in the 10th grade. He and his younger sister Ari have always been very cheerful, athletic kids who loved skiing, bike riding, and the outdoors. Jacob is an excellent and hard-working student. He is a big computer enthusiast and was thinking about following in his father’s footsteps to become a software engineer. He also recently took an interest in science and was planning to work in a biomedical research lab this summer, hoping to learn more about neuroscience. He is also a pretty good pianist who went to an international music festival last summer. We hope that with your help, we can get him the medical help he needs to see his dreams come true.

The community of Hastings-on-Hudson, where Jacob lives, has rallied behind the family, and many members of the extended family have flown in to support Jacob’s parents and younger sister at this time. The community has even started a petition to have the city put a pedestrian bridge across the Saw Mill River Parkway so that the many walkers, bike riders, and people who work at Rivertowns Square can safely get back and forth across the parkway. But Jacob’s recovery is only beginning, and we know it’s going to be a long and hard road full of many unexpected setbacks and expenses. Many people have reached out to ask how they can help.

Right now, we would like to raise $50,000 to cover the costs of Jacob’s hospitalization and the in-patient rehabilitation that will begin after he leaves the hospital.

WHAT THE FUNDS WILL BE USED FOR:

In this phase, the funds will help offset the medical co-payments, pharmaceutical co-payments, deductibles, tests or treatments not covered or only partially covered by insurance; out-of-network specialists and therapies; and his inpatient physical and neurological rehabilitation therapy to start Jacob on the path to regaining his physical and cognitive abilities. Later on, there may be additional needs associated with at-home care: nursing assistance to help while his parents are working, occupational and ongoing physical and neurological therapy, specialized equipment for therapy, and modifications to the Klugermans’ home to accommodate Jacob’s needs.

The entire Klugerman family would greatly appreciate a donation or sharing this fundraiser. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for anything you can contribute. We will provide regular updates on Jacob’s progress.

Per the terms and conditions of Go Fundme, here is additional information:

• Jane and I, friends of the Klugerman family, are organizing and running this fundraiser. 
  
• The funds will be used to cover expenses related to rehabilitation and recovery of Jacob.
• Kira Gritsman, who is Jacob’s mother, will receive the funds in her bank account and disburse them as needed to cover these expenses.

Thank you,

Yakov Bindler