Fundraiser for student nurse killed in horror crash gets over £6k in first 10 hours: Community 'shocked and saddened' by tragic death of Claudia Jaczyk, 23
The death of a student nurse in a weekend horror crash has been described as a “heart-breaking tragedy”, as a fundraiser set up to help her grieving family with funeral costs gathered more than £6,000 in its first 10 hours.
Claudia Jaczyk, 23 and from Newtownabbey, died on Saturday morning after the car she was driving collided with a bus on a rural road that runs from Templepatrick to Belfast International Airport.
The fundraiser describes her as someone “full of plans, dreams, and hopes for the future” and “a wonderful, kind, and warm-hearted person who always thought of others” – said to be what drove her ambitions to become a nurse.
The GoFundMe for funeral expenses was set up on Sunday morning; seeking £9,000, within its first 10 hours it was more than two-thirds of its way to that target, with over 300 donations.
South Antrim SDLP councillor Roisin Lynch said the loss of another young life on the roads is devastating.
“This is a heart-breaking tragedy,” she said, “and my thoughts are with the family and friends of this young woman.
“My thoughts are also with the driver of the bus involved in the accident and I hope he makes a full recovery.
“I know that the local community in the Newtownabbey area will be shocked and saddened by this news and will do what they can to support the young woman’s family.
“The police have appealed to anyone who witnessed the collision to contact them, and I would ask people to help in any way they can.”
The driver of the bus, a man in his 60s, was hospitalised with injuries that although serious were not believed to be life-threatening.
Ballyrobin Road, the scene of the crash, was closed for most of Saturday.
PSNI Detective Inspector Stewart from the force’s Collision Investigation Unit said emergency services attended the scene of Saturday’s crash between a bus and the black Citroen C1 that Claudia was driving, but she was “tragically pronounced deceased at the scene”.
The PSNI said: “Our inquiries are continuing, and we would appeal to anyone who witnessed the collision, or who may have digital footage which could assist with our investigation, to contact the Collision Investigation Unit on 101, quoting reference number 341 14/02/26.”