A fundraiser has been established for the victims of a head-on crash that happened in Norridgewock in December.

Robert Miller, 72, of Anson, was driving a white 1983 Toyota pickup truck west on the River Road around 2:35 p.m., when it collided head-on with a silver 2008 Ford Focus four-door sedan heading east, driven by Devon Periard, 65, of Smithfield. Joseph Colombo, 67, of Anson, was riding with Miller at the time of the crash.

All three were wearing seatbelts and had to be removed from the vehicles using an extrication device. They were taken by ambulance to Redington Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, where they were taken by LifeFlight helicopters to Maine Medical Center in Portland and Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for treatment of multiple injuries.

Donations are being accepted at Senior Planning Center in Skowhegan at 338 Madison Ave., and donation jars are available at their other locations in Farmington, Rumford and Presque Isle and are accepted between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

“We’re accepting anything,” Mandy Keane, an agent at Senior Planning Center, said on Wednesday.

The fundraiser kicked off in January and will run until Feb. 29. Funds will benefit all three victims as well as their pets; between the three, there are four doves, two parakeets, three cats, a dog and a parrot. So far, donations include cash, checks, two walkers and pet food.

Miller’s wife, Janice, says that both men have been released from the hospital. She says that Miller is wheelchair-bound and in a full-body brace for seven to eight weeks. The hope, she said, is that he will be able to walk with assistance by the end of May.

Attempts to locate Colombo were unsuccessful on Wednesday, but Janice Miller says that “he has been home and he is doing well.”

Families of the victims did not specify specific donation items that they need, but have expressed that medical expenses are starting to accumulate.

“I think for all of us, it’s just the medical bills that are starting to roll in,” Janice Miller said. “We’re trying to figure out how to navigate all of it, it’s been crazy.”

Miller’s wife says that while he is home recovering, there is still a long road ahead. He’s been home for about a week, she says, and is receiving a list of medical services, including physical therapy and occupational therapy. Since the accident, Janice Miller has gone from working five days a week at her job at Ginny’s Natural Corner in Skowhegan to two.

“I’ve got incredible friends and family helping to take care of Bob (Miller),” Janice Miller said.

Keane says that Periard is still in the intensive care unit in Portland recovering from her injuries.

Her initial injuries include two broken arms, broken ribs, a punctured lung, shattered kneecap and a shattered elbow. Keane says that Periard has been taken off of sedation and has had five surgeries.

“They’re a tough bunch, those Periards,” Nanci Greene, a friend of the family, previously said.

“She is recovering as expected,” Keane said.

“I am so thankful that everybody lived,” Janice Miller said. “We were blessed that we had incredible people that built a ramp for us. The people in this area are awesome.”

 

Comments are not available on this story.