A freak accident that claimed the life of a 5-year-old Ventura County boy and devastated his family and friends has prompted an outpouring of donations from across the country.
In late August, young Maxwell Haworth was playing with his best friend on Rincon Beach in Ventura, his parents watching from the sand, when he climbed onto some rocks at the edge of the water, slipped, which caused a boulder to fall on top of him, the L.A. Times reported.
Daniel Kessler, a close family member of the Haworths, said Maxwell’s dad rushed into action.
“His father picked him up and went to the parking lot with him in his arms to get some help,” he explained. “They did everything they could.”
According to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, Maxwell was severely injured in the accident and succumbed to his injuries later that day at a local hospital.
The 5-year-old, described as joyful and energetic with a loving disposition, was his parents’ only child and had just started kindergarten.
“The family is just heartbroken they are not going to see him grow up,” Kessler told The Times.
In the days after Maxwell’s death, family friend Bryan Holloway organized a GoFundMe to raise funds for the funeral, grievance therapy and other burdens that might arise during this unimaginable time.
“My friends are not ones to ask for anything from anyone, but we know they need any support they can get,” he wrote on the page.
In the two weeks since the tragic accident, nearly 670 donations, some from as far away as Chicago and Atlanta, have raised the family more than $67,000 toward the goal of $80,000.
In an update post on the page a week after the campaign was organized, Holloway shared the family’s thanks for the outpouring and show of support.
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