GoFundMe Campaign Launched for Sag Harbor Veterinary Aide Injured in Car Crash

A GoFundMe page, “Dani Medical Fund,” has been established to help defray the medical bills of Dani Perez, a veterinary assistant at the Sag Harbor Veterinary Clinic, who suffered serious injuries in a single-vehicle crash on Merchants Path off Route 114 in Wainscott on the afternoon of February 18.

According to her co-worker Mariah Moskowitz, Perez lost control of her car on black ice and struck a tree.

Perez was airlifted to Stony Brook Hospital for treatment of a shattered pelvis and broken hip, she said. Doctors also placed a rod into her knee to help stabilize her upper leg, pending surgery.

“She was released on Thursday but faces a recovery of five or six months,” she said.

Moskowitz and Perez’s brother, Ever, launched the GoFundMe page with a target of $50,000. So far, a little more than $20,000 has been raised, but Moskowitz said the target amount may have to be increased as Perez faces the prospect of additional surgeries, physical therapy and the cost of replacing her car.

Reached by text on Thursday, February 29, Perez said she was doing okay. “I’ve been using crutches and a wheelchair to get around but still can’t even stand on my own,” she said.

Perez said her cellphone fell under the seat after the impact, out of reach, so she had to crawl out of the car, injured, and try to wave down a passerby. One car passed, she said, but did not stop

“I had to crawl back into my car and look for my phone, so I could call 911,” she said. “At that point, I could no longer feel my leg.”

Perez said she was touched by the outpouring. “I’m amazed at how incredible the community has come together,” she said. “I’ve been in [veterinary medicine] for a little over eight years, and to see all my clients donate and reach out to me shows me how much they care about me.”

Moskowitz said everyone at the clinic is hoping that Perez has a speedy recovery. She launched the GoFundMe effort because “she’s my best friend, and you have to stick with your friends. They are like family.”

Donations can be made by visiting gofundme.com/f/dani-medical-fund.