Community bands together to help with accident victim’s medical bills

GAUTIER, MS (WLOX) - A community comes together to help one of their own. Proceeds from a fish fry on Saturday went to benefit medical bills of Lisa Williams, who was severely injured in a car crash the day before Thanksgiving.

"Lisa's doing better from the initial accident," said Williams' boyfriend Paul Moran. "But it's one step forward, two steps back sometimes."

Moran just returned from her bedside at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson so he could thank everyone for their support. Williams suffered a traumatic brain injury, punctured lung and spleen, broken back and several broke ribs in the accident that occurred just before Thanksgiving last year. Her rehab has been intense, and Friday night Williams was taken to the emergency room at UMMC where she was put back on a tracheotomy tube.

“It’s a long road, and every time she starts doing a little bit better something else happens because, she’s got a lot of injuries, and she’s a fighter,” Moran said.

With medical bills mounting, the Gautier Men’s Club along with Deepwater Mafia and the American Legion organized a fish fry to raise money for Williams.

“Lisa was having a hard time,” said Darryl Jackson of the Gautier Men’s Club. “She was having to go through some rehab, she had a brain injury, so she’s been in Jackson the last couple weeks doing some rehab, and insurance don’t pay for everything, like always. Medicare don’t pay for everything, so we’re stepping up to the plate.”

Jackson manned the deep fryers, filled with fish donated by Deepwater Mafia.

“I met one of the Gautier Men’s Club members, and I heard they were putting on this event,” said Bob Brown of Deepwater Mafia. “Deepwater Mafia’s already talked about this situation and we wanted to help so I said, hey we’ll provide the fish and you guys focus on the event. We’ll focus on the fish.”

Moran was amazed by the support from the community.

“It blows me away,” he said. “I’m born and raised on the Coast so I’ve got a lot of family and friends, and to see everybody come together like this, like I said, it blows me away.”

Jackson felt the same way watching the community band together again for a cause.

“It’s unbelievable,” Jackson said. “Gautier’s always been like that. Gautier, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, for some reason when somebody’s in need they always step up to the plate.”

More than 200 fish fry plates were sold at the benefit, raising more than $14,000. All proceeds will go to pay for Williams' medical bills.

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