Appeal Aims To Raise Funds For Injured Teen
Friends of 16-year-old David Goonewardene have created a GoFundMe page to raise funds to cover medical expenses after the teenager suffered brain injuries as a result of a single vehicle collision on March 29.
With an initial goal of raising $15,000, the effort has generated more than $61,000 in donations to date.
The GoFundMe page says, “On March 29th, police responded to a report of a single vehicle collision in Smith’s Parish in Bermuda. One of the vehicle’s four occupants was found unresponsive. That individual was David Goonewardene, 16, of Warwick Academy. This page shares his story, created by his close friends to help support his family at this difficult time.
“Earlier that same day, after a fun day spent with friends, David had arranged to stay at a friend’s house for a sleepover. Later that night, he and three friends were travelling in a car on their way back to his friend’s house, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a wall, trapping the four of them in the car. Emergency medics and fire crews found David unresponsive at the scene and worked hard to rescue him from the wreckage.
“He was rushed to the ER, where it emerged that he had severe bleeding and swelling on the brain, in multiple locations. The doctors warned David’s parents that he was in a life-threatening condition and for his safety, was placed into a medically-induced coma. Our kind and caring friend is now fighting for his life on a ventilator.
“Anyone who knows David will agree that he is a fighter – built of strong and resilient character, yet caring and kind to those around him. Known by his friends as the ‘Motive King’, he pushes us all to be the very best versions of ourselves, always offers to coordinate and make plans for the group and is the glue that holds us all together. We feel lost and disconnected from one another without him.
“He is an active sportsman, with a passion for racquet sports, in particular tennis and table tennis – and has represented Bermuda overseas at table tennis tournaments. We pray for David’s healing and full recovery, but we know that his road will be very long and very difficult.
“It will take time, effort, energy and the support of many specialists to get David back to doing the things he loves best, including playing sports, working out at the gym, hanging out with his friends and annoying his siblings, Connor, Elliana, Serena and Maddy.”
