Community Rallies Around Stricken Beachwood Councilman

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - The crash photos of the destroyed Der Wunder Wiener hot dog stand are painful to look at. It's even harder to imagine that longtime owner Gerald LaCrosse was trapped inside.

Gerry LaCrosse lies in the intensive care unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in critical condition, his niece Charissa Fromm and son Jerry LaCrosse said in a post on Gofundme. He's already had multiple operations due to the internal bleeding he suffered when he was pinned under the building that was his business and his family's livelihood for more than 30 years.

"Gerald LaCrosse (my uncle and Jerry's father) is an amazing man," she wrote. "He had a dream 34 years ago. That dream was to start his own business. That dream...his family business...his livelihood and his family's main source of income...all came crashing down on Monday, June 11, 2018 and left him critically injured with internal bleeding."

An SUV ran off Route 9 at 7:40 am and plowed into the little building that sat in front of the parking lot of the former Beachwood Shopping Center. Those at the scene managed to free Gerry so he could be airlifted to Jersey Shore.

"We're all so thankful for the support of the community, his family, friends and neighbors during this difficult time," Fromm wrote. "We created this campaign because Gerald is one of the kindest, most generous and hard-working people you'll ever meet. He is a loving husband, father and grandfather who planned to continue working as long as possible before eventually passing the business on to his children and grandchildren."

The last thing his family wants him to deal with when he recovers is the stress of lost wages, the devastation of his business, the loss of his car and medical expenses. So they have set up a gofundme site to help, she said.

"Thank you so much for reading his story, and thank you in advance for any donations made," she wrote. "Whether or not a donation can be made, we appreciate your help in sharing this page with others."

To make a donation to thesite set up on the family's behalf, click here.

As of Wednesday morning, $220 of the $20,000 goal had been raised. The fund was just set up on Tuesday night. Please help if you can.

Photos: Courtesy of gofundme, a Patch partner.