TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – The accident that resulted in a woman and her 3-year-old grandson being killed after being struck by a garbage truck on April 11th is still being investigated, according to police. At the same time, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised to help the families as they struggle with their losses.
On Monday, a sanitation truck owned by Royal Carting of Hopewell Junction struck 3-year-old Rhys Thomas and his 72-year-old grandmother, Debra Cappock-Clegg. The young child was pronounced dead at the scene. Mrs. Clegg was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries on Monday evening. The original story can be found here.
Town of Poughkeepsie police officials told Mid-Hudson News that they are still working on the investigation. “The Traffic Division is heavily involved in the reconstruction at this time,” said Police Lieutenant Shannon Rodriguez. “Reconstruction of a fatal accident can take weeks,” Rodriguez added. The town police are being assisted by the NYS DOT and the New York State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit (CVEU).
A GoFundMe page has been established to help the families of Rhys and his grandmother to offset the costs associated with the tragedy. Donations can be made by clicking here.
In addition to the GoFundMe page, Icetime Sports Complex and the Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center (MHCC) have provided financial assistance to the child’s parents. Mike Thomas is an active member of the adult hockey league at IceTime and the MHCC President Zeidan Neishewat said his organization provided $5,000 to the William G. Miller funeral home to help with funeral costs. “When the hockey directors brought the tragedy to my attention, The staff and members of this organization collectively agreed to step up and do our part to alleviate even the smallest amount of stress from Mike and his family during this most difficult time.”
Information on the services for Rhys Thomas and Debra Cappock-Clegg can be found here.
