MESA, AZ – OCTOBER 26, 2010: FAST-Aid is the non-profit organization that has assisted eight families of the deceased and the dozen plus injured after the MDR California 200 off-road accident two months ago on August 14, 2010. “In the first couple days, donations began rolling in at an unbelievable pace. In the last 6 weeks FAST-Aid has raised $150,000 dollars from the off-road community to help those who are in need as a result of this tragic accident,” said Jared Tetzlaff, President of FAST-Aid at the recent Memorial unveiling. “I am honored to say that we have already been able to give back $50,000 of that in assistance to the families for various bills, medical expenses and everything else that goes with the loss or injury of a loved one.”
The $50,000 dollars in assistance has been distributed with over $30,000 being for eight funeral expenses, with more funeral reimbursement pending. An additional $5,000 has been allocated in financial assistance to cover household bills that were specifically paid by the deceased and would have been left unpaid due to the loss of that family member.
With over a dozen spectators injured, there has already been $11,000 paid in medical bills or household expenses for the injured. This is a very low amount to date because many of the injured have been adamant that FAST-Aid help the deceased immediately, however are now facing dire financial situations and are submitting applications. “The all-volunteer board at FAST-Aid has worked tirelessly to help all families involved. We still have several files for people who have not received any financial assistance as we are just now beginning to see medical bills roll in,” said Tetzlaff.
“Fast-Aid was started to alleviate financial hardships and meet needs resulting from off-road racing accidents. We have a responsibility to make sure that the funds entrusted to us are distributed as fairly and equally as possible. Unfortunately, sometimes this means forgoing some luxuries,” explained Tetzlaff. Monies are distributed for specific expenses based on receipts submitted within a capped total limit, $8,000 for deceased and $5,000 for injured. Each request is evaluated by the Board of Directors and is approved or disapproved.
“$150,000 sounds like a lot of money until you divide it among all those in need including the families of the deceased, the severely injured, and those needing counseling for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We also pledged to set up an education trust fund for the children who lost parents with these donations,” explained Tetzlaff. With donations tapering down within weeks of the accident, the board reacted by putting equal caps on the amount allocated to recipients. Some recipients have already reached their cap amount.
The entire FAST-Aid Board of Directors continues to rally to support all those injured at the MDR California 200 accident, a prior accident, and work forward to help prevent future accidents. FAST-Aid also supports a series of CPR Training Classes. Donations to FAST-Aid are welcome at any time, not just in response to a specific event.
