BROOKVILLE, IN — A community fundraiser has been established to help a teenager who lost his mother in a fiery crash in early July in Brookville.
Forty-six-year-old Virginia “Jenni” Fasbinder was killed in the head-on collision on U.S. 52 east of Yellow Bank Road on July 7.
Jenni was a single mother raising 19-year-old Sam Fasbinder. Due to the seriousness of the crash, a death certificate has not been made available. This means insurance and any accounts she had for her son are not accessible. Sam is now forced to pay the bills and house mortgage all while hoping to still attend IU East this year. However, his scholarships even have to be reapplied for.
“There are all these hoops that have to be jumped through before Sam can see any money his mother had for him,” said close family friend Fonda Hurst. “He can’t get a death certificate until the police do their report and then it gets handed over to the county. Sam’s already been told that’s a minimum of two months.”
Due to his urgent need, a benefit account has been established at any First Financial Bank through the end of August. The benefit is called “Benefit for Sam” and all funds will be directly given to Sam Fasbinder. Any donation amount is greatly appreciated.
The fundraiser was established and overseen by The 812, a new digital media company that promotes Southeast Indiana while helping local families in need.
“We really hope our amazing communities in Southeast Indiana can rally to help this teen who is going through an extremely difficult time,” said 812 owner Steven Harmeyer. “Our reporter, Bella Monroe, saw the seriousness of what Sam is going through and decided to launch this fundraiser to hopefully ease some of his pain.”
Last Thursday, The Franklin County Prosecutors Office charged the other driver, 43-year-old Joshua E. Trammel of Brookville, on several counts including Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance Causing Death (Level 4 Felony); Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Causing Death (Level 4 Felony); Reckless Homicide ( Level 5 Felony); Illegal Possession of a Syringe (Level 6 Felony); and Habitual Offender, sentence enhancement.
