Community raises money for family with child seriously injured in O’Fallon crash
Friends, neighbors and complete strangers have raised more than $13,000 in three days for the family of a 9-year-old metro-east girl involved in a serious car accident last week.
Wendy Mahoney and her daughter, Corra, were running errands on Feb. 9, when their car was hit head-on by another vehicle on U.S. 50 in O’Fallon, according to the description on a GoFundMe campaign page.
“Wendy broke her foot in the accident,” it reads. “(Corra) was unconscious and suffered critical injuries requiring surgery. She was airlifted to a pediatric hospital where she is being treated in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
“Corra is a strong, smart, beautiful, kind, and athletic child of God. She is also a fighter with a feisty spirit. Corra is a wildly successful and talented competitive dancer at Studio L Dance Center. She brings so much to the stage with her gift and love of dance.”
First responders were dispatched to the scene of a two-vehicle crash in the 100 block of U.S. 50, just west of Lincoln Avenue, at about 8:25 p.m. on Feb. 9, according to an email from the city of O’Fallon on Thursday, sent in response to a BND request for information on the case.
A preliminary investigation by O’Fallon police concluded that:
- A Kia Sorento was travelling east on U.S. 50 when it crossed over the center line and collided with a Honda Odyssey minivan headed west.
- The Honda was occupied by a female driver and her juvenile daughter.
- The female driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital by ambulance.
- The juvenile passenger sustained severe injuries and was airlifted from the scene by helicopter.
The Kia driver, Amendrezz Turner, 19, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a St. Louis hospital by ambulance.
The Kia belong to one of Turner’s family members.
The St. Clair County state’s attorney’s office charged Turner on Feb. 10 with two counts of burglary, a Class 2 felony, and one count of aggravated battery in a public place, a Class 3 felony, according to court records.
“These charges are related to his actions after the crash, where he attempted to leave the scene and enter other vehicles stopped nearby,” the city of O’Fallon email stated.
Turner is being held at the St. Louis Justice Center, awaiting extradition back to Illinois.
O’Fallon police are still investigating the cause of the accident, including the possibility that Turner may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Toxicology test results are pending.
“Due to the severity of the crash, we have requested a reconstruction (by the Illinois State Police), and unfortunately those things take time,” said O’Fallon Capt. Dave Matevey.
Corra, the daughter of Wendy and Chuck Mahoney, is a third-grader at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Fairview Heights. The family attends Holy Trinity Catholic Church, which held a prayer service for her on Saturday that was live-streamed on social media.
The GoFundMe campaign was launched Tuesday with the goal of raising $50,000 for the Mahoneys. Donations had reached $13,010 as of Thursday evening.
“Corra faces a long road to recovery,” the campaign description reads. “(Her parents) have been by her side and continue to stay at the hospital with her. Wendy is postponing surgery until after Corra is better.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
