West Orange Brothers In Critical Condition After Violent Crash

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Around 9 a.m. on Halloween, Larry Verducci opened his eyes and squeezed the hands of his loved ones.

But Verducci and his brother, Michael, are still in the hospital after a serious car crash on Oct. 27 in the borough of Franklin. And the West Orange High School students’ lives may be forever changed, their family and friends say.

An online fundraiser to benefit the Verducci brothers has garnered more than $13,000 from almost 300 donors since launching on Halloween. It’s been shared nearly 1,000 times. Learn more or make a donation.

A relative of the siblings shared details about the urgent need for assistance.

“Michael and Lawrence were in a very serious car accident the evening of October 27 heading home from family’s house in Franklin Borough around 7:10 p.m. Michael lost control, crossed the center line and ran off the road as it headed down a steep hill. The car hit traffic signs, struck an embankment and overturned three times before the vehicle hit a concrete wall and landed while continuing to overturn.”

The pair suffered severe injuries in the resulting crash, she said.

“Upon impact, Lawrence was ejected 40 feet from the vehicle shattering the foundation of the nearest property. Michael was found in the overturned vehicle with part of the retaining wall he just crashed into lodged into his skull. Sustaining severe injuries all over their bodies; Lawrence has two broken legs, a collapsed lung, fractured hip, punctured liver that is losing a lot of blood and needs transfusion on a daily bases, punctured bladder, fractured base of skull cause bleeding on the brain, fractured face, fractured pelvis bone, air around his heart, deep cuts on his head, had four strokes and other underlying injuries. Michael has a broken nose, fractured his skull, doctors found rocks and stones embedded into his brain from the retaining wall. Has two tubes in his head to drain the blood from his brain. He is now missing a piece of his skull, which needs to be replaced by a metal plate after six months of wearing a helmet. There is a possibility he will have brain damage.”

The Verduccis were intubated, heavily sedated and in critical condition in the ICU at Morris Town Memorial Hospital.

Their relative offered an update on their condition on Oct. 31:

“Around 9 a.m. this morning, Larry started opening his eyes and squeezing hands when spoken to. His fever also went down and they removed the cooling blanket from his body. We were also informed that he fractured his lower back. There were no more signs of stokes. Micheal has not had any improvements today. His heart rate dropped and still has a fever. Later this evening, Larry's fever spiked up again and had to be sedated little more. Please continue to pray and have faith. I will keep you all updated as much as possible. Thank you all for your donations and support. We truly appreciate everything everyone is doing for these boys. We are extremely thankful and blessed for family and friends like you all.”

Donations to the fundraising campaign will be used to help cover the cost of medical bills and supplies, organizers said.

• See related article: Meet 10 NJ Families Who Had To Crowdfund For Healthcare

Administrators in the West Orange Public School District asked community members to step up to the plate and spread the word about the fundraiser.

“It's time to help our own!” school officials wrote. “The Verducci brothers were involved in a tragic car accident this past weekend and are both now in ICU fighting for their lives. Please click on the link below to help in any way you can and share to help spread the word.”

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