Joe Yates
More than $500,000 has been raised to support an 11-year-old who survived a fatal car crash, which took the lives of her entire family.
The orphaned girl, who has been given the name Poppie to protect her anonymity, lost her mom, dad and two little sisters when their car collided with a motorbike in Yorkshire, England, back in July.
Her parents, Shane Roller and Shannen Morgan, were driving a Ford Focus with all three of their daughters in the car, but tragically nine-year-old Rubie and four-year-old Lillie both died in the accident.
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The two riders on the motorbike they collided with were also killed in the collision.
Poppie was taken in by Paul Hepple, a close friend of the family, who has been providing updates on her welfare through a GoFundMe page set up for her.
Taking to the platform on Friday, he wrote: "It has been 12 weeks since the heart-breaking loss of Poppie’s family and 8 weeks since my last update. I want to apologize for the silence—I wanted to keep things low-key while the family tries to grieve and navigate this heartbreaking tragedy, as well as for the funeral and other arrangements to take place.
"Thanks to your incredible generosity, an astonishing £408,207 [$533,485] has been raised. The initial target was £3,000 [$3,920] to help with Poppie’s immediate needs, and I never could have imagined the outpouring of love and support that followed.
"There have been 22.5 thousand donations from people all over the world. Donations are now closed, as the amount raised is far beyond what anyone could have expected. It’s truly remarkable."
He went on to explain that the money has not been touched yet and that 'every single penny will go into a trust fund for Poppie' so that it will support her 'long into the future'.
Hepple continued: "Poppie is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. She has bravely returned to school and, although she was nervous at first, she is slowly settling in.
"She is receiving therapy at school, which is helping her navigate her loss. Poppie and her Aunt, Faye, have also received invaluable support from Brake, the road safety charity, who have been instrumental in helping them manage the legal side of things and providing guidance."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.