Family, friends of I-77 motorcycle crash victims raise money for recovery

July 21--The family and friends of two people injured in a motorcycle wreck last week are raising money to help them pay for what's expected to be a lengthy recovery.

Anyone willing to help is asked to donate to the Joey Huckeba and Teresa Miller Fund at any branch of ArrowPointe Federal Credit Union or South State Bank.

The fund was created by family members last week to raise money for the two riders who remain in critical condition in a North Carolina burn center and face months of recovery.

Huckeba and Miller were riding a Suzuki motorcycle on Interstate 77 on July 12 as part of "unity ride" with other local motorcyclists after a tense few weeks in South Carolina that included the mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and the heated debate around removing the Confederate flag from the Statehouse.

Their bike was struck from behind by a motorist in Chester County near Richburg, and they were both badly burned when the car rolled over them in the median and burst into flames. The interstate closed as they were airlifted from the scene by helicopter.

Both victims have been largely unresponsive since then, say family members, and will likely spend up to a year in the hospital recovering from burns and other injuries. That's why the public's support is needed.

"When they get home, they will have no money," said Michelle Murphy, Huckeba's sister, who says her brother's insurance will only cover a brief hospital stay. "It's going to be a long time before either of them are able to work again."

Several members of Murphy's extended family have taken turns traveling to and from the burn center in Chapel Hill since the accident, with many of them having to take time off work to support him. Huckeba's mother has been on a continuous vigil at the hospital since the accident.

"She's not going to leave until they get better or can go home," Murphy said. "We've gone up there to relieve her and try to give her a break, but she's not leaving."

Miller's daughter has also visited her mother in the hospital since the accident, but most of Miller's family lives out of state, Murphy said.

The driver of the 2009 Toyota that struck Huckeba's Suzuki, a resident of Huntington, W.Va., was also injured in the carsh and transported to Piedmont Medical Center with undisclosed injuries. The collision was being investigated by S.C. Highway Patrol.

Bristow Marchant: 803-329-4062, @BristowatHome

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