The community is coming together to help out a couple injured when their mobile home was hit by a tornado Saturday. In the first 24 hours, over $2,200 was raised for Chad Simmons and Kelley Hunter through the crowd sourcing website GoFundMe. The home they were in, located on 270th Street between Mount Pleasant and New London, was completely destroyed. Linda Raub is a family friend of the Simmons and started the campaign Sunday night.
According to Raub, moments after the couple saw the storm and began seeking shelter, the tornado hit. Chad was knocked out, his foot was crushed, and he was impaled in the hip by a piece of wood. Raub says once Chad regained consciousness, he carried Kelley to the first usable vehicle he could find and drove until he was stopped by a tree that was blocking the roadway. A friend who had come to check on their wellbeing found them and called an ambulance.
Chad underwent surgery on his foot Monday and is recovering from his hip injury at the University of Iowa Hospital. Kelley has a fractured collarbone and possibly a broken hand or arm. Raub explains donations will help with the significant out of pocket expenses for Chad’s medical treatment.
She attributes the early success of the campaign to two Facebook posts. A post made on the Eastern Iowa Fireground Photos page by James Houghton was seen by 36,720 people and over 7,000 people saw a post made on the Northern Illinois Fireground Photos page.
