Co-workers rally to help Eastern Passage couple seriously injured in head-on crash

Past and present co-workers of a young couple who were seriously injured in a head-on collision Saturday in Dartmouth, N.S., are raising money to help with any unexpected costs.

Laura Henderson-McFadden, who used to work with the woman who was hurt in the crash, said her coffee shop plans to donate a day's worth of tips from customers to the Eastern Passage couple.

"Every [tip] we get on Friday, we are donating to them for whatever they need — whether it's bills, food, their house, whatever medical needs, whatever they need, whatever they want," said Henderson-McFadden, the assistant manager at Tim Hortons on Main Road.

"We're just trying to make things as easy as possible for them."

Vehicle going wrong way

The victims — a 26-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman — were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after they were struck by a vehicle driving on the wrong side of Highway 111.

Henderson-McFadden said the woman's back is broken and the man's ankles were injured in the crash. They are still recovering in hospital.

"They were just living their lives. They wanted to start a life. They had dreams and aspirations," Henderson-McFadden said Tuesday. "They were just driving along, doing their Saturday errands and then that was just taken away from them for no reason ... no one deserves that."

The woman involved in the crash worked with Henderson-McFadden at Tim Hortons for four years. She stopped working there last year, but the staff wanted to do something for their former co-worker.

Community raising money for couple

The community has already raised more than $200 for the couple, who grew up in Eastern Passage and are well-known in the area.

"We're all feeling it," said Henderson-McFadden. "We all are hoping the community can come together for them because they've been here for the community."

Scot Spike, who works at Autoport with the man who was injured, said employees were shocked to hear about the accident involving their co-worker.

"He's a great kid," said Spike. "I just see him with a smile on his face because that's the way he was every time he saw me, he had a smile on his face."

Spike, who is president of Lodge 1, Local 100 of Unifor, said the union will match donations collected for the couple by workers at Autoport.

"We're all kind of family here and when something like this happens, it just hits home," he said. "You never want to hear this about anyone, let alone someone you know and have worked with."

 A GoFundMe for the couple had raised more than $26,000 as of Tuesday evening, surpassing its goal of $20,000 in just one day.

Accused remains in custody

Brandon James Crombie, 18, has been charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving in connection with the crash.

He was expected to appear in Dartmouth provincial court for a bail hearing Tuesday, but he agreed to a three-week adjournment.

This is the third time in six months he has been charged with an impaired driving offence.

Crombie will remain in police custody until his next court date.