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A fundraising effort is underway to help a boy whose mother died in a car accident Jan. 12 in the Oakboro area.

A GoFundMe page created by Trisha Galyan — https://www.gofundme.com/f/un4x8-help-for-matthew — had raised more than half of its $5,000 goal as of Thursday morning for the 5-year-old and his family.

“Matthew was involved in a fatal car accident Friday morning with his mother who didn’t survive. He was airlifted to CMC Levine’s where he had rods placed in his back,” the GoFundMe post began. “He also broke his arm and had to have part of his colon and intestines removed. He will have a long recovery and will need a lot of medical attention.”

According to Sgt. Adam Bost of the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the incident happened at 7:42 a.m. Jan. 12 on Liberty Hill Church Road. The mother died after her Toyota Corolla hit head-on with a Toyota Tacoma. The accident also sent two others to a hospital, including the boy who turned 5 on Jan. 13.

“His father Matt will have to be out of work for the next little while. Anything that you can give is very much appreciated and will go straight to Matt and Matthew,” the GoFundMe post continued. “This will be a very rough transition for Matthew but also for Matt. Keep Matthew’s mother’s family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate these uncertain waters as well.”

A GoFundMe fund was created by Tiffany Krieger — https://www.gofundme.com/f/emily-whitley — to assist with funeral expenses for Matthew’s mother.

“Emily’s life was taken way too soon one morning while she was driving her son to school, a driver crossed the center lines and hit her car head on,” the post states. “Emily was a beloved, daughter, granddaughter, niece, she was truly one of a kind, but most importantly she was an amazing mother and friend to all.

“Emily was an amazing mother who loved her son more than anything else and he does not deserve to grow up without her. We recently had to give him the news that his mommy was gone, and on his 5th birthday at that. Please if you find it in your heart and are able to help this family lay Emily to rest please do. No one plans on having these expenses at a young age. All money raised will go towards funeral arrangements and medical bills. Please pray for this little boy as he begins his journey of healing both physically and mentally.”

The Highway Patrol continues its investigation into the accident and whether charges will be filed against the driver of the truck.