Funds raised for family following death of 8-year-old
Amanda Cook died in rollover crash on Interstate 8
A friend as well as hundreds of community members have come together in support of a family who lost an 8-year-old girl, Amanda Cook, this past Saturday to a single-vehicle rollover crash on Interstate 8.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up by a family friend, Edna Thompson, and can be found at www. gofundme.com/5e2gj-thecook-family.
The father of the girl, Justin, is the former Human Resources director for the Yuma Sun newspaper. Cook worked at the Yuma Sun from July 2009 to June 2013.
“Our thoughts and hearts go out to the Cook family during this incredibly difficult time,” said Yuma Sun publisher Lisa Reilly. “The outpouring of support from the Yuma community for his family has been both tremendous and heartwarming.”
Justin, along with his family, now live in Queen Creek, Arizona, where he now works in Human Resources for Pinal County.
Thompson has known the Cook family for about seven years. In a phone interview Wednesday night, she said she met them when she moved to Yuma. Thompson noted that she ran a choir at her house that Amanda participated in when she was younger.
“She was definitely one of my little stars for sure. She loved to sing and dance.”
“When she would tell a story she would be just so animated, happy, loving and sweet,” Thompson added. “Amanda, she really was the light of that family.”
In an obituary posted on the GoFundMe page, it showed that Amanda “loved riding her bike and learning new games to play” and that she “enthusiastically collected boxes
and other treasures to create amazing works of art for those she loved.”
About $33,000 has been raised on the GoFundMe by 330 people in five days. The page has also been shared over 3,000 times and has many incoming comments of support.
“They are obviously a very loved family and people just want to help however they can,” Thompson said. “They are a wonderful family. They were always willing to help and they are always friendly.”
While the goal for the fundraiser is set at $40,000, Thompson noted that people can still donate once that amount has been reached.
“The first goal that I put down was $15,000, but it was reached within 24 hours of setting it up,” Thompson said. “With GoFundMe you can continue to grow and contribute to the account even if it met the goal.”
After the initial goal was met, Thompson explained that she raised it because people were not sure whether they could still donate.
“I started getting questions from people who wanted to contribute but who didn’t realize they can still donate past the goal,” Thompson said. “I raised the goal then to $20,000 and that one was reached in two days. I just bumped it up to $40,000.”
Thompson said she simply wanted to ease the financial strain from the family. She noted that Susan had just started teaching online classes but will need time away from work.
“The goal was definitely to assist them with the unexpected cost of a funeral,” Thompson said. “Their van had quite a few miles on it and some years and wear and tear. Now, it’s totaled and I’m not sure what insurance would be able to repay them for that. I know they said they had needed a new vehicle for a while.”
The Cook family was traveling to Yuma in their van when the crash occurred.
Thompson said that Amanda was with her family delivering loaves of bread to friends and family in Yuma as part of fun- draising efforts to send the older Cook children to musical camp this summer.
As they were traveling to Yuma westbound on I-8, the vehicle began to drift to the left. An article released by the Yuma Sun on Monday showed that Quentin Mehr of the Arizona Department of Public Safety Unit had said that the crash happened at milepost 56.2.
According to Mehr, the driver was a 16-year-old female and the van was carrying six other family members.
Mehr had explained that the driver over-corrected after drifting to the left. The vehicle began to leave the roadway and roll over. Amanda was ejected from the vehicle.
She, along with all the other occupants from the van, were transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center where Amanda died as a result of her injuries.
Thompson said that Amanda’s mother, Susan, had to stay in the hospital overnight following the crash for observation. Susan as well as all other family members have been released from the hospital, she said.
Funeral services for Amanda will be held today in Queen Creek, Arizona.
Thompson said that if anyone has any questions about how to contribute to the fundraiser, they can message her on the GoFundMe page for the Cook family.