Ride CT & Ride New England Serving New England, NYC and The Hudson Valley!
HARWINTON, CT – GoFundMe pages have been started for victims of the horrific car-into-motorcycles accident on Route 63 in Litchfield, CT that killed one and injured six others on Sunday afternoon. There’s a Kern Family page and a Depaolo Family page. Each seeks $50,000 in donations.
Aislinn Kern of Harwinton, CT was passenger on one of the motorcycles when Elizabeth A. Waterbury of Litchfield, driving a 2014 Ford Escape, veered into the oncoming lane and into a pack of 18 riders. Kern, a 33-year-old mother with three young daughters, was ejected. She struck the windshield of the Escape, flipped up and over the vehicle, and landed in the roadway. She was later pronounced dead at Hartford Hospital.
Her husband, 40-year-old Edmond Kern, was operating the motorcycle. He suffered serious injuries and remains in Hartford Hospital in critical condition. A funeral service for Aislinn Kern is set for noon Saturday at Cyril F. Mullins Funeral Home in Trumbull, CT. Visitation will precede the service from 9 a.m. to noon.
Their aunt, Kathy Herde, launched the GoFundMe page for “The Kern Family” on Monday. The purpose is to assist with medical expenses and to help provide care for the girls – Isabella, Lilliana and Gabriella. The page noted that “Eddy … has a long road of recovery ahead.” As of late this afternoon $12,515 had been pledged. The figure had swelled to $21,550 by evening.
“In a matter of seconds our lives have been changed forever. The carelessness of one person has ripped our family to pieces,” the page said. “We will now all need to learn how to manage each day without our daughter, mother, wife, sister, niece, cousin and best friend.”
Also launched Monday was the GoFundMe page for the Depaolo Family, also of Harwinton. Its purpose is to help with medical expenses for rider Dan DePaolo, who works at Doc’s Motorcycle Parts in Waterbury, and “to keep the family afloat.” It notes that Dan “lost his leg just under the knee” as a result of the accident.
The page further explained, “Dan and his wife have small children and are now out of work and have long recoverys (sic) and very expensive medical bills to pay.” As of late this afternoon $2,450 had been pledged. It had grown to $4,015 by evening.
State police continue to investigate the accident. A court records search reveals that Waterbury was arrested three years ago on a charge of criminal mischief. She pleaded nolo contendre and was found guilty. Waterbury was sentenced on April 2, 2015 to one year in jail, but the sentence was suspended. She was placed on 18 months probation, which would have ended three weeks ago.
– By Bud Wilkinson
