While the victims of the Cleveland Park miniature train tragedy wait for the slow process of the state's legal and legislative systems to address victims' needs, the church overseeing a charitable fund for the families is taking a new step.
Corinth Baptist Church of Gaffney, home to 15 of the 29 people injured in the March 19 derailment in Spartanburg, is forming an advisory committee of officials and nonprofit leaders from Cherokee and Spartanburg counties. The panel will oversee spending from the fund and help lead future fundraising efforts.
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Benji Easler, the 6-year-old son of the church's pastor Dwight Easler, was killed in the crash, and two other children were seriously injured.
Dwight Easler said last week that the victims' families are essentially stuck in a holding pattern as they wait on state and local government and for insurance payments to wind their way through the system.
Some of the families have no insurance.
“We really don't have any idea what the actual need will be,” Easler said. “Pretty much every family that I know, we're having to seek legal counsel on what to do next.”
No money from the fund, created soon after the crash, will be spent before the resolution of the claims and a settlement with the state, Easler said.
The fund, with donations from around the world but mainly from the local community, stands at about $49,000 — not nearly enough to take care of the victims' expensive medical costs.
But the church has not yet launched a major fundraising effort, something it intends to do soon.
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The church also plans to send a survey soon to the families of the victims to assess their financial needs.
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