Impressive turnout at Brusly High blood drive to help crash victim’s recovery

BRUSLY – In Thursday’s blood drive for crash victim Liam Dunn, 128 pints of blood were donated to help his recovery — a number much larger than the OLOL Blood Donor Center is used to seeing.

All day, a steady line of donors formed in front of Brusly High School.

“It’s helpful for people to save lives,” said Gerald Williams, who survived a crash at the same intersection on LA 1.

Liam Dunn is the third victim in the deadly crash during a high-speed police chase on New Year’s Eve, and he is still reported to be in critical condition.

He’s in need of blood donations after an Addis police officer crashed into a car he was in with his sister, Maggie, and their friend, Caroline Gill. The girls didn’t survive the wreck, and Dunn has been in the hospital ever since.

“No matter how hard of a day we were having, Caroline and Maggie would always cheer us up,” one of Dunn and Gill’s cheer teammates said.

Giving blood is one of the easiest ways people can help the Dunn family.

“I’ve been in incidents where I needed blood myself, so if we get the call they need blood, we give blood,” Williams said.

One of those stepping up to save lives was Stephanie Williams, Gerald’s wife.

Williams says he was on his way to his last chemotherapy treatment when the crash happened. Now, he and his wife do what they can to give back and help save lives.

“I’m giving back what was given to me to help someone else,” Stephanie Williams said.

“It’s great. We were passing that when we saw it, and that’s when my wife said, ‘I feel like giving blood today,'” Gerald Williams said.

According to America’s Blood Centers, just one donation can save two people’s lives.