Friends, Community, Church Come Together to Help Local Teen Badly Injured in Crash

The power of prayer and a deep, abiding faith has brought the many who love Michael Einfeldt rallying to his side during a time of great need.

Michael, 18, of Eastport, was on his way to work Friday at 6:55 a.m. when he hit a slick patch of black ice on County Road 51 in Northampton; the accident left him in critical condition.

Yesterday, friends set up a Go Fund Me page set to raise money for medical expenses. So far, the page has raised $3,745 of a $10,000 goal in less than 24 hours.

“His car spun out of control and crashed into a utility pole. Thanks to the quick response of the Flanders Ambulance, the Riverhead Fire Department heavy rescue (who extricated Michael from his car), and the Suffolk County Police helicopter, Michael was quickly airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital and taken immediately into surgery,” Lisa Berg-Anderson, who created the page, wrote.

The community has come together in a big way to help and show their love to the Einfeldts, Berg-Anderson told Patch in an interview. “Meals have been provided, and prayers,” including a a prayer meeting at Eastport Bible Church on Saturday.

Social media, including Facebook, has helped friends to spread the word, asking friends from around the country and around the world to pray.

“Michael has gone on mission trips with Eastport Bible Church and is very active in the youth group as a member and now a college age leader,” she said. Youth pastors Laura and Jeremy Herr had a youth meeting to discuss various other ways to help the family, she added; the Herrs have been at the hospital every day, bringing youth group members with them in the van. “We are a little town on the eastern end of Long Island but have a lot of love for each other,” she said.

His friend Sami Argutto added, “Michael is probably one of the best kids I know. He always is positive and smiling and lights up any room he walks into. Many of his friends have gone to visit him at the hospital; we had a prayer time for him Saturday morning and continue to pray for him.”

This weekend, according to Laura Herr, who has been keeping a blog about Michael’s progress, filled with beautiful photos and stories of his life, a van packed with teens headed to Stony Brook, where he is in stable condition. The group waited patiently outside the intensive care unit and brought with them support, prayer, faith, and, Herr said, “So much love.”

Though he lost a lot of blood and suffered internal injuries, Michael was able to be stabilized, Berg-Anderson said on the Go Fund Me page. “He’s since undergone a second surgery and remains in critical condition. As Michael’s body begins to heal from his surgeries the doctors will be able to learn the full extent of the head injuries that Michael also suffered. All that being said, Michael has been constantly surrounded by his family, his friends, his church and his community. Love and prayers have poured in from states all over the country and from countries all over the world.”

Michael, a young man who has touched countless lives with his mission work and friendship, Berg-Anderson said, “is a true testimony of an extraordinary young man. He is kind, compassionate and extremely caring. Everyone who knows Michael loves him. His smile and fun loving personality make him an absolute joy to be around.”

Through his ministry and youth group, she said, he “spent so much of his high school years as an important part of this ministry. He dedicated his time to loving and serving so many. He truly has let God use him to have a huge impact in the lives of so many. But now is the time that he needs our help.”

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Patch courtesy photos by Laura Herr.