I-10 pileup: Victims' loved ones set up GoFundMe accounts to help with fallout
The Brief
The families of victims involved in the I-10 pile-up in Tonopah on March 1 are looking for financial help to ease their new financial burdens.
We're learning more about a victim who died, Dustin Cluff, and two victims who survived, Mike and Shannon Smith.
TONOPAH, Ariz. - Victims' loved ones are reeling from the fallout of the tragic deadly 12-car pile-up on I-10 in Tonopah on March 1.
What we know
The crash happened around 1 p.m. near milepost 89 on March 1, Arizona DPS says. Investigators haven't said what caused the crash.
Four people were killed, and others have injuries that have kept them in the hospital for days, and could be in there even longer.
With twelve vehicles involved, there are several families whose lives have been changed forever.
Father of 3 killed
"He has always just been a rebel, he was always super adventurous, he was very daring," said Niki Cluff, Dustin Cluff's ex-wife.
A fan of heavy metal music, outdoor adventures, and quality time with his three children, Niki says Dustin was a great dad.
"He was always taking Jackson out rock crawling with him, he was always taking him to concerts with him and with the girls he would take them out to dinner and he would take them out for ice cream," Niki said.
She and her three kids got the devastating news that Dustin was killed. News, Niki says, her and her children are still processing.
"The girls and I just kind of expected somebody to call us and say, 'We were just joking. He's in the hospital. He'll be back.' And it just doesn't, it doesn't feel real," Niki said.
The grief, not just for losing Dustin, but for future milestones his family has been robbed of.
"He's going miss graduations, he's going to miss weddings, he's going to miss grandkids, holidays," Niki said.
Dustin and his girlfriend Melinda Kobold were two of four victims who lost their lives in the crash.
Click here for Dustin's GoFundMe.
Dog goes missing in crash
A dozen other people were hurt, including Shannon and Mike Smith. Shannon remains in the hospital with serious burns and other injuries.
"Their car caught fire, and she had to climb over the center console, and she was reaching in the back to grab her purse and that's how she got her arms burned and her back, and it's going to be a long time before she comes home," Mike and Shannon Smith's daughter-in-law Mandy Smith.
The couple is still not sure what happened to their beloved dog Lou Lou. The family is battling scam calls about the alleged appearances of the dog while trying to bring her home.
"You guys are messing with somebody's, that's like their child. I mean, my father-in-law is going crazy, because he rescued that dog," Smith said.
Click here for the Smith's GoFundMe.
What's next
While the Smith family searches for answers, the Cluff family searches for closure.
"When you see people coming together like this to help out, to be present, to lift burdens, it's nice to see people being nice," Niki said about Dustin. "He died too soon and the world is going to be a very different place without him in it."
Both the Cluff and the Smith families have GoFundMe profiles set up to help in dealing with the aftermath of this tragedy.
DPS is still investigating the cause of the pileup. They are considering the blowing dust and windy conditions from that day.
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