Southern Brooklyn good samaritans have raised thousands of dollars for the dog who survived a March 5 crash that left her 66-year-old owner dead.
“Stormy and her dad, Frank, were walking in Bay Ridge near 101st and 4th avenue. A speeding driver hit both of them,” wrote Britton Woodruff, one of the organizers of an online fundraise for the pup. “Tragically, Frank, a beloved and long-term member of the Bay Ridge community, was killed.”
Stormy suffered a broken pelvis and leg from the crash but still managed to run 10 blocks home. It was her homecoming that alerted the victim’s wife that something was wrong.
“Stormy suffered a broken pelvis and leg, along with several lacerations,” Woodruff wrote. “Despite these injuries, Stormy somehow made it back to her home on her own, and collapsed on the ground, outside her building.”
She has returned home as of Wednesday, according to a post on the donation site, but still has a long road to recovery.
Organizers initially hoped to raise $3,000 through the GoFundMe campaign and set a long-term goal of $10,000 to help with veterinarian costs. As of Friday, more than $7,000 in donations have poured in.
Police said the dog’s owner, Frank Delcovenaere, was crossing 101st Street against the crossing signal at around 7 pm when he was mowed down by a 19-year-old driving a 2011 Mercedes Benz. The driver was traveling southbound on Fourth Avenue when he made a right turn through the intersection and stuck Delcovenaere, immediately killing him, according to cops. Eyewitnesses have said the driver was speeding.
On Saturday, State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Councilman Justin Brannan will host a 2 pm vigil at Cannonball Park — located at the intersection of 101st Street and Fourth Avenue, where the crash occurred — to commemorate Delcovenaere, who family friends described as a beloved member of the southern Brooklyn community.
“He was always willing and wanting to engage people in meaningful conversation,” a family friend told Brooklyn Paper. “He was ever-gracious and warm. He cared about the people that he came into contact with and knew everyone’s name.”
