ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Members of the motocross community in Georgia and Florida are coming together Saturday for a fundraiser for a Waycross teenager who is in a coma at Orange Park Medical Center.
Matthew Jernigan, 18, has been in the hospital since a horrific crash in November that left him with serious injuries and claimed the life of his mother.
Kathryn Davis, who is helping organize the fundraiser, said Matthew and his family were on their way home from Dairy Queen when someone plowed into their truck.
“He tried to swerve out of the way. Unfortunately, he didn’t, and he took all the impact and he was hit by the drunk driver. The mother, Johnna, and the drunk driver both lost their life at the scene,” Davis said.
Matthew suffered a traumatic brain injury according to Davis and has undergone several surgeries.
“He sustained multiple bone injuries, but the main thing is the brain injury,” Davis said. “We’re doing a motocross ride family day tomorrow to benefit this family.”
The fundraiser for the Jernigan Family will take place from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 2 at Okefenokee MX Park in Folkston, Georgia.
“This is just a great family, you know, and if I could do anything to bring some kind of blessing to them, along with these other people that are really stepping up to help, I would do it a hundred times for every family,” Davis said. “But my main goal is to reach out and ask people, please don't drink and drive.”