‘We live around a lot of great people so it’s not too hard to believe that we can get that much. Dan has a lot of friends. He’s a great kid and a lot of people love him.’ – Joe Summers, brother of accident victim
NORTHFIELD — “He’s optimistic and his hopes are high, his attitude is good,” Joe Summers said of his brother, Dan, who lost his left arm as the result of a car accident Jan. 10 at Tilton Road and Route 9. “He’s keeping his head up high and it definitely helps our family to feel a little bit better.”
Joe said Friday his parents — Joseph and Lisa Summers — had spent much of their time since the accident at a medical facility in northern New Jersey, where Dan underwent surgery, and were expected home later that day.
“We’re all trying to deal the best we can,” he said.
The boys and younger brother Shaun Summers, 21, grew up in Northfield “playing sports since an early age.” All continued playing sports at Mainland Regional High School. Lisa Summers also has a son — Mike Lamkin, 39 — from a previous marriage.
Dan Summers, 25, was southbound Jan. 10 on Tilton Road when he crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic, striking the curb in front of TD Bank and then a traffic signal at the intersection, authorities said. The impact of the collision split the vehicle in two, with Summers trapped in the cabin. He was extricated by the Northfield Fire Department, treated at the scene and transported to the Regional Trauma Unit at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center.
Joe Summers, 27, said Dan has no memory of the accident, speculating that weather may have been a factor. The area had a significant snowfall early in the week and a couple of inches more the day before the accident.
Joe started a GoFundMe page Jan. 17 with a goal of raising $200,000. Donations exceeded $20,000 in the first week and, as of Tuesday, Jan. 25, 370 people had donated $32,739.
“I am here to raise money for my brother Dan to get him an advanced prosthetic Myoelectric Arm so that he can continue living his life; doing the things that he truly loves,” Joe wrote on the fundraising page. “Dan was in a serious car accident on the night of January 10th, 2022. To say he had a guardian angel there with him would be an understatement. He must have had 10 with him because it was the worst accident I have ever seen. I thank God that nobody else was involved or hurt in the accident, but regardless, Dan did not make it out unharmed. Dan’s left arm was completely crushed in the crash and as a result they had to amputate it (up to his shoulder).”
“The first couple days it was rough, thinking about how hard his future is going to be, but right now I’m just focusing on getting the money to get him the best arm that we can,” Joe said Friday, noting the goal is to get something robotic and not just cosmetic.
The fact that Dan lost his entire arm complicates the process and makes it more expensive. Joe said he plans to undertake a lot of research to find the best solution.
“It’s definitely going to take some money to get him something that fits him,” Joe said, adding that a lot of the cheaper prosthetics are for below the elbow only.
Joe said he hesitated about starting a GoFundMe page because “we’re not a family who likes asking for money, but this will be a long road and an expensive one at that.”
He said he is glad he did.
“We’re getting a lot of support and a lot of people reaching out,” Joe said. “It’s definitely made him feel better seeing all the people that care.”
Joe said he was surprised the page generated so much money in the first week but not surprised by who and how many people contributed.
“The Northfield sports community is definitely a big part of it. Old coaches reached out, a lot of childhood friends, and we have friends and co-workers that all donated, shared and reached out,” Joe said. “We live around a lot of great people so it’s not too hard to believe that we can get that much. Dan has a lot of friends. He’s a great kid and a lot of people love him.”
Dan has been working at The Botanist in Egg Harbor Township, where Joe is a supervisor, while taking hospitality management classes at Atlantic Cape Community College.
The page notes Dan is an athlete and lost his dominant arm. His favorite hobbies include snowboarding, basketball, baseball, darts, lifting weights and playing video games, and he will need a prosthetic to “continue playing sports, working out, continuing his career at our job and kicking butt in Call of Duty!”
“As you can imagine, he is going to need both arms to continue doing the things that he loves,” the page states.
Joe stated it was too early to detail exact costs but “you can be well assured that we are going to use every penny that we raise from these donations (and more) towards the best prosthetic that we can find. If you know Dan, you know that he has a huge heart and would do the same thing for others.”
Joe said Friday that donations had slowed toward the end of the week but that they were seeking other avenues to raise funds.
He said his mother has a pen pal from Sweden whose daughters started a fundraiser there and that an artist friend is raffling off pieces and donating the proceeds. He also said they are looking into organizing a banquet-type event, noting people already have offered to donate goods and services.
“It’s great to have all these caring people that do this for us,” Joe said. “Dan is overwhelmed with how many people reached out and responded.”
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
