Concho Valley bands together to help man after truck totaled by tornado
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — A San Angelo man who launched a fundraiser after his car was totaled by a tornado in Robert Lee has received thousands of dollars in financial support thanks to help from the Concho Valley community.
According to the fundraiser’s GoFundMe webpage, Shawn Sutton and his family were traveling in Robert Lee on May 3 when a tornado touched down in the area. The severe weather conditions would eventually be too much for their truck, causing it to flip.
A YouTube video published by storm chaser Reed Timmer captured the family’s dire circumstances during the tornado. Timmer and another man can be seen driving through the severe thunderstorm when they see Sutton’s truck flipped on the side of the road. Timmer and his passenger rescue Sutton and his family from the storm, after which Sutton confirms that they were outside of the truck before it was totaled.
The tornado, which the National Weather Service of San Angelo gave an EF1 rating, left the family with a mountain of financial burdens as it tried to recover from the storm and purchase another vehicle. Sutton started the fundraiser in the hopes that the residents of the Concho Valley would help him in his family’s time of need.
“I am trying to raise the funds to cover the upside amount, which is a lot,” Sutton said on the GoFundMe webpage. “I normally don’t ask for handouts, but I am also in the process of trying to get another vehicle. Anything helps, and it will mean more than you think.”
And help they did. As of the time of publication, the fundraiser has raised $6,889 of its $10,000 goal over the course of a single day. The thousands of dollars are spread across 195 donations, including $1,000 from Timmer.
With a massive outpouring from the community and a hefty sum of money at their disposal, the Sutton family can rest easy knowing that the people of the Concho Valley have cared for their own. If you’d like to contribute to Sutton’s cause, you can visit his online GoFundMe fundraiser.
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