Many accidents happen during holiday weekends when people are tired, drinking or distracted by festivities. This was not the case for Mike Romanyak who should have been back in Louisiana for the Fourth of July holiday with his family after a recent visit to New York. The trip was intended to let the Mike, his wife and their two kids visit family up North, but ended with the family stranded in a Kentucky hotel. The crash’s only victim was Mike's 10-year-old step-daughter. So instead of having fun on the Fourth of July, they were recovering from injuries suffered in a fatal wreck on Interstate 71 and mourning the loss of one family member. According to witnesses, the family’s SUV was badly mangled in a deadly nine vehicle pileup north of Campbellsburg, KY. Under the circumstances, the family could not leave Kentucky. But the family had even more trouble ahead as they could not find a rental over one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year. The story did not end there though. A compassionate community reached out to the family and thousands of people offered prayers, condolences, rides, and lodgings. One man in particular, confirmed that he would be driving the family to Mississippi because they had no vehicle after the crash. Mike’s Wife Stefani has family there who will be letting the Romanyak family stay for a while and helping them get through their grief. Friends and acquaintances started fundraising efforts to help the family with expenses related to the accident. An internet fundraiser opened on July 1 and had raised nearly $15,000 by the Fourth of July. Additional fund raisers have since been added to help the family. Donations came mostly from the family’s hometown, but donations have also been pouring in from Alabama, Mississippi and other surrounding states as the word spread about the unfortunate family. Mike, a member of the military has also been recognized and supporters want to make sure he knows that the he is appreciated for the service he has willingly provided to his country.
Louisiana Family Suffers Tragic Car Accident Before 4th Of July