Fundraiser This Weekend To Help Man Injured In 'Freak Accident'

What: “Mark-A –Palooza” fundraiser for Shelton resident Mark Smolen, who was seriously injured in a 2016 freak traffic accident

When: Saturday, July 21, 2018, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Where: Woodbury Brewing Company, 738 Main St S., Woodbury, CT 06798

Note: Smolen is available for phone, in-person and video interviews; photos from the crash are available; event access is available for coverage as well.

Friends of Shelton resident Mark Smolen are hosting a fundraising event to help cover his medical bills. Smolen, 46, needs fulltime home healthcare, the result of a traumatic brain injury received when a tire crashed through the windshield of his car in March 2016. He was driving north on Route 8 near exit 21 when the tire came off a trailer heading in the opposite direction. It struck him in the face; his car careened off the road, landing upside down in the woods.

According Dan Beyer, a longtime friend and the event’s organizer, money raised from “Mark-A -Palooza” will go toward Smolen’s speech and physical therapy bills, as well as modifications to his home. Woodbury Brewing Company is part owned by TJ D'Alexander, one of Smolen’s high school classmates. The brewery is providing the venue space and beer, as well as door prizes. Tickets are $25 per person and include food, beer and soft drinks. There also will be live music, games, raffles, and silent auctions with prizes, all of which have been donated by classmates or others in the community. Tickets can be purchased at the Brewery in advance or at the door the day of the event.

Guests are asked to RSVP here. (https://www.evite.com/event/03D2457M47QZEA7NMEPIN44UIQYXPU/rsvp?utm_campaign=send_sharable_link&utm_medium=sharable_invite&utm_source=facebook)

A You Caring fundraising site was set up at with a goal of $25,000. So far, more than $13,500 has been raised. (https://www.youcaring.com/marksmolen-1141887)

"Mark’s recovery so far is nothing short of miraculous,” said Beyer. “He has never given up and worked incredibly hard. He is such an inspiration, which is why so many of his friends and the community are supporting him.”