By Richard Gootee
The Evansville Courier & Press
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — As an Evansville firefighter recovers in the hospital after a weekend car crash, her friends continue to rally around her.
Beth Csukas suffered a head injury after she lost control of her vehicle and crashed on Interstate 69 on the way to Indianapolis Saturday morning. The crash happened at the 109 mile-marker, which is near Bloomington.
According to Indiana State Police, Csukas hit a slick spot and struck an unoccupied Indiana Department of Transportation vehicle. Csukas has been with the Evansville Fire Department since February 2007.
A GoFundMe account for Csukas was set up shortly after the crash by a fellow firefighter and had raised more than $16,000 by Thursday morning. All proceeds contributed to the online campaign will be given to Csukas’ family to use “towards bills as they see fit.”
“Beth has always been the first to jump in line to take care of any friends, family and complete strangers,” Evansville firefighter and fund administrator Gary Barr wrote on the page. “It’s the reason she became a firefighter for the City of Evansville, she just loves to be there for all of us. We all know that she is constantly talking about helping people and she never wants anything in return. It’s our time to say thank you when Beth and her family needs it most.”
Brooke Csukas has kept her sister’s friends and supporters updated on Beth Csukas’ status on social media. There has also been a public “Support for Csukas” page made on Facebook that is monitored by Beth Csukas’ family and friends.
Beth Csukas remains in critical condition at the hospital.
“Our entire family is in awe and appreciates the love more than we can express,” Brooke Csukas wrote on her own Facebook page earlier this week.
Evansville Fire Chief Mike Connelly said there have been several times that Csukas “has gone beyond her call of duty.” He recalled that after a fire last summer, Csukas went out on her own time and helped the family search for its missing dog. She even made posters to distribute around the neighborhood.
“She’s an outgoing, energetic and a very dynamic,” he said.
The Evansville Hoses Hockey team, which has played in several charity hockey games in the past, has also organized a benefit game for Beth Csukas. It’s scheduled for Feb. 5 at 7 p.m., and will take place in the Swonder Ice Arena. Tickets cost $5 and will be available at the door. Attendees can also be bought in advance through the Evansville Hoses Hockey Teams Facebook page.
Advance tickets will also be available for purchase at the Evansville Firefighters Credit Union by Friday afternoon. The credit union is also accepting money for the Csukas family if potential donors would rather not contribute to an online campaign, Connelly said.
Mayor Lloyd Winnecke visited Beth Csukas -- as well as another Evansville resident, Leslie Sides -- in the hospital while in Indianapolis on Tuesday. Sides works as a deputy coroner for both Vanderburgh and Warrick counties and is the wife of Evansville Police Department detective and local Fraternal Order of Police president Michael Sides. She suffered an aneurysm on Dec. 31. A GoFundMe page, run by Leslie Sides’ sister, has also been set up to help her family cover expenses associated with her recovery.
Steve Lockyear, chief deputy coroner in Vanderburgh County, called Leslie Sides a longtime friend who is community-minded.
“She’s just a wonderful person: a great mom and a good wife, just a very nice person,” Lockyear said. “Someone you enjoy seeing. ... She’s got her hands in everything. Her and Mike both, their existence is to serve other people. A lot of what they do is to help other people, that’s all they do.”
Winnecke who was in Indianapolis for an association of cities and towns conference, said he visited with both women’s families to let them know the city was rooting for them.
“I wanted to let them know that they were in the thoughts and prayers of a lot people in the city, including mine,” Winnecke said on Thursday.
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(c)2016 the Evansville Courier & Press (Evansville, Ind.)
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