Survivors of fatal crash help grieving family after house fire
Crash survivors Quintin Giesbrecht and his wife, Beth Giesbrecht, were shocked to hear the family of a teenager who died in a head-on collision with their truck must now rebuild their lives after a fire destroyed their home.
The Giesbrechts were driving on Highway 52 toward Steinbach, Man., when their truck and a car driven by 19-year-old Florian Bool crashed on Nov. 19, 2016. The teen was pronounced dead at the crash scene.
"As a result, our lives are undeniably intertwined," Quintin Giesbrecht said.
Giesbrecht, 47, met with Florian's father, Jakob Bool, over the holidays to express his condolences to the grieving dad. As the father of three grown sons himself, Giesbrecht said he couldn't imagine what Bool was going through.
Then, two months after the fatal crash, the Bools were hit by another tragedy.
Their family home in Kleefeld, Man., burned down after an extension cord caused a fire. All 15 members of the family escaped safely. Damage to their home and property is estimated at around $500,000.
Giesbrecht is now trying to help raise money for the family through a GoFundMe page.
"They're not even close to recovering from one tragedy and then another one hits," said Giesbrecht. "I mean how much more can one family take?"
The Steinbach resident does not remember much from the crash that killed Florian in November. He said his wife, who suffered fewer injuries, recalls seeing the car cross into their lane near a turnoff for Kleefeld.
Giesbrecht remembers waking up in his truck after the crash and seeing people running towards him.
"[They were] yelling at us to get out. The truck was actually on fire.
"From then on probably until Sunday or Monday, things are pretty hazy. I don't remember much of that," Giesbrecht said.
He suffered two broken legs and a broken arm, while his wife broke ribs and her collarbone.
Police at the crash scene told CBC there were no skid marks on the road and the crash was under investigation.
Giesbrecht said while he and his wife were recovering in hospital, a friend started a GoFundMe page for them and raised about $5,000.
The family used the money to help their sons pay for parking at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg and to purchase a new bed.
"We were very grateful for the money," Giesbrecht said, adding he and his wife cried when they saw how many people offered to help them in a time of need.
"We live in an amazingly generous community," he said, "a community that stands up for its own people, and we were very grateful for that."
The online fundraiser for the Bools has raised more than $27,000.
