With $500K Possible In Bills, Victims Of Gowanus Hit And Run Set Up GoFundMe Page
A pedestrian severely injured due to a hit and run incident on Saturday, May 21 in Gowanus returned to her home yesterday after undergoing three surgical procedures at Methodist Hospital. The financial cost of the ordeal could very well add to the immense pain already sustained from the episode.
Recently engaged couple Tanya Kinne and Chris Kovacs left The Bell House that night after a Smiths/Morrissey cover band show and were both hit [by a green taxi] at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and 7th Street. The driver sped away.
“I was clipped. She almost died,” Kovacs told us. And after nine days in the hospital and three surgeries, Kinne was back in their Upper East Side apartment.
According to Kovacs’ sister — who works in the medical field — hospital bills could cost $500K.
“We’re proud people, and we didn’t want to ask for help. But a friend of ours encouraged us,” said Kovacs. The couple has set up a gofundme page to assist with bills and in-home physical therapy — which they estimate will be a two-month process. Kovacs and Kinne are hoping to raise $25,000.
After some prodding, Kovacs told us about another piece of information which led to their choice to fundraise — Kovacs will lose his job next month. “I’m a business analyst and there will be a massive layoff in my company — it’s not good timing at all,” he says.
According to Kovacs, Kinne sustained brain bleeding, head trauma, needed almost 300 stitches, had several limbs broken, her nose broken, and her pelvis fractured. “I saw a police photo of her before the surgery and she was unrecognizable,” he wrote on their gofundme page.
“We assume all will heal ok,” explains Kovacs. “They put a rod put in her leg and she has to be immobile for quite some time.” Kinne will also need regular nurse visits.
Kovacs told us he could not comment about the event as the police believe it will compromise the investigation. “The police have done a great job so far,” he says. Cops are currently combing through videos from the accident scene.
Kinne briefly spoke with us on the phone with her fiancé’s assistance. The victim is a senior paralegal, but won’t be back in her office for months.
The couple got engaged on April 23, but wedding plans are on hold for the time being. “I suppose it could have been worse,” says Kovacs. “If we were on the other end of the situation, we would have stopped.”
The couple says that funds will only be used for medical bills and recovery. They told us that any money left over will be donated to the NYS victims’ funds for other hit and run victims.
We don’t often have the opportunity to learn about the individuals whose lives are altered by the injuries and crimes sustained in our neighborhood. We wish Tanya and Chris our best wishes for healing and health in their lives.
Meanwhile, Kovacs says they are both hoping for some normalcy. “We just want our lives back,” he says.
To make a donation, visit the Tanya Kinne Hit and Run gofundme page.
Update, June 28 at 4:45pm: While the report to news outlets initially stated that a green taxi hit the couple, it was revealed that police chose to withhold the actual car make and model during the investigation until the suspect was identified and arrested.
