Family Friends Remember 'Wonderful Woman' Killed In Brick Crash

BRICK, NJ — Friends of the family of the Brick Township woman who was killed when a pickup truck crashed into her home on Tuesday are raising money to help her family, which is not only left without their mother but also was forced from their home.

Barbara Anne Filan, 55, died Tuesday after the crash, where the 2014 Ford F-150 driven by William McEvoy, 86, came through the wall into the living room, where Filan was in bed due to an illness. NJ.com reported she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2018.

Ally Ward, who is friends with Filan's son, and Crystal Caraccia, who is friends with Filan's daughter, both started GoFundme campaigns to help the family.

GoFundme officials said they are working with both women to ensure the funds go directly to the family. "When money is raised for another individual, funds are collected by our payment processors, held, and then released only to the person named as the beneficiary," a spokesperson said.

"I’ve had the privilege of knowing and living across from this family and this awesome woman for many many years," Caraccia wrote on Facebook in sharing the campaign she created. "They are a bunch of amazing people who deserve so much more than what they got dealt."

"This completely unexpected tragedy has left some without their home but all with a missing part of their hearts. Knowing this family for 15-plus years it’s quite an upset to many people and left everyone with a heavy heart," she wrote.

Ward, on the campaign she created, noted that Filan's son is a familiar and popular employee at the Wawa just down the street from the famiy's home.

"This family has been devastated by a tragedy that no one could ever imagine facing," Ward wrote. "If you are local, Jon has probably assisted you at Wawa. Please pay it forward and donate the cost of your coffee, or even $5 bucks if you can spare it. They can use any help we can offer."

McEvoy's pickup truck crashed into the family's home on Drum Point Road after he lost control of the vehicle, police said. The crash remained under investigation. The family rented the home, and the damage was so severe they are unable to live there, NJ.com reported.

To assist Filan's family, Ward's fundraiser aims to raise $10,000, and Caraccia aims to raise $5,000.

GoFundme is a Patch promotional partner.

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