Crime & Safety
GoFundMe Started For Family Of Man Killed In I-495 Crash
Nelson Rivera, 56, of Lawrence, was one of two people pronounced dead at the scene of Wednesday's crash.
LAWRENCE, MA -- A GoFundMe campaign is seeking to raise $10,000 to pay for the funeral costs of Nelson Rivera, one of two people killed in a horrific crash on Interstate 495 just before noon on Wednesday. Rivera was a passenger in a Honda Pilot that was hit head-on by a 2016 Kia Sportage that suddenly swerved from the southbound side of the highway, across the median and into oncoming traffic on the northbound side. The driver of the Kia, Jyllian McGonagle, 38, of Lawrence, was also killed in the crash.
"Our family received the worst news ever during this holiday season. On December 5, 2018 we lost our father suddenly due to a wrong way driver car crash," Taisha Rivera wrote on the GoFundMe page. "We are trying to raise money for his funeral arrangements. Please find it in your heart to share our go fund me page."
Related: Visit the GoFundMe page for the family of Nelson Rivera
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The driver of Pilot Rivera was riding in remains in critical condition at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. The 55-year-old Lawrence woman, whose name has not been released, had both lungs collapsed and both femurs, both ankles and most of her ribs broken in the crash, according to a friend of the woman and Rivera.
Two women from Andover in a 2016 Toyota RAV4 that was hit after the Kia crashed into the Pilot were taken to Lawrence General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
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Police are still trying to determine why McGonagle swerved from the southbound side of the highway at the Lawrence-Andover town line. A third driver, a 59-year-old Dracut man, was uninjured after the Kia sideswiped his 2004 Ford F350 before crashing into the Pilot. The highway was closed for nearly three hours Wednesday following the accident.
Previously on Patch: Police Release Names Of Two Killed In I-495 Crash
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Photo of Nelson Rivera (left) via GoFundMe. Used with permission.
Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).
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