5 Lives Shattered After Lower Makefield Township Crash

LOWER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA —They were coming home from a birthday lunch.

Five people were driving in a BMW SUV when the vehicle was struck just after 1:30 p.m. May 22 on Stony Hill Road, just south of the Newtown Bypass.

An hour earlier, there was cause for celebration. Now there's devastation.

Corinne Kyle of Morrisville, in a GoFundMe page created four days ago, has detailed the injuries suffered in the crash which the Lower Makefield Township Police Department said in an initial investigation was caused when a Mini Cooper driven by a man exited the Lower Makefield office complex onto Stony Hill Road, and struck the SUV traveling north on Stony Hill Road.

Police said the BMW spun around and rolled over upon impact.

Lower Makefield Township Police told Patch Friday that the accident is still under investigation.

Kyle created the page to raise donations to pay for medical expenses. The GoFundMe page has raised more than $14,000 of its $20,000 goal.

Kyle said her family —Pauline, Steve, his sister Gina, Danielle, and her fiancé Jordan Jones was coming home from celebrating a birthday lunch when they were struck.

She said Gina and Jordan were able to come out of the accident "sore and bruised" with only minor physical injuries, but the emotional toll on them has been heavy.

Danielle was ejected from the SUV and sustained a small brain bleed, muscle separation in her neck, and fractures in her wrist, shoulder, vertebrae, and pelvis. She is in significant pain and will need physical therapy to regain mobility, Kyle said.

Pauline’s left, and dominant, hand was crushed during the rollover and had to be amputated mid-forearm. She also has fractured vertebrae in her neck.

Steve was paralyzed from the chest down and also suffered a mini-stroke. He has undergone several surgeries and is still sedated and on a ventilator, Kyle said.

"We are hoping that the swelling in his spine will go down, allowing him to regain the use of his arms and breathe on his own, but he will never be able to walk again," she said.

Given the injuries, Pauline will have to sell her stand at the Newtown Farmers' Market, which has been her second home and family for 20-plus years. She is heartbroken at experiencing this loss on top of everything else.

"We are truly thankful for all the support we have already received from so many. In the blink of an eye, our entire lives have been changed," Kyle said.

The fundraiser is for the significant expenses involved in medical bills, missed work, and making their home handicapped accessible.

Kyle said she will provide updates on the page.

"Remember to slow down and enjoy every second of life," she said.