Indian man crushed by truck during family trip in New Mexico; parents had come to America to plan marriage
Murali Avala, an Indian man, reached out to the community from his hospital bed in the US after an accident with his family during a trip to New Mexico’s White Sands National Park. A pickup truck ran over his brother, NRI Purna Gopi Avala, who has been living in the US for a decade. Murali and his parents were all seriously injured while Poorna could not be saved.The accident occurred when their vehicle was parked in the emergency lane with hazard lights on and the brothers were switching seats to change drivers. The pickup truck collided with the vehicle, killing Purna.“Poorna came to America in 2015 and went through immense sacrifice and struggle for a decade. He was incredibly hard-working and eventually got to the point where he could support our entire family financially. Our parents had just arrived from India three weeks earlier, and we were actively planning Purna’s wedding. All our dreams were shattered in an instant. Poorna was our only financial provider,” his brother wrote.His father suffered a broken neck, broken ribs and serious facial injuries and was airlifted to UNM Hospital in Albuquerque. The mother suffered a broken arm and facial fractures and Murali, who has just completed his master’s degree, had to undergo surgery for severe internal bleeding, he said.“With Purna gone, our family is facing a huge financial burden that we cannot overcome alone. Your donation will go directly toward the expenses of emergency medical airlift, major surgery, intensive care, and Purna’s funeral,” he wrote in the fundraiser asking for the community’s help.The family set a goal to raise $100k and as of Tuesday $40.4K had been raised.