LAKE COUNTY ? A Lakeport father and his two sons are recovering physically after they were injured in an April 12 boat crash off the northeast cost of Florida. They are still drowning in medical bills, however.
“I”m not worried about my bills, I”m worried about my son,” wife and mother Suzen Moore said.
Her husband, Frank Moore, and two sons, Justin Moore, 23, and Josh Moore, 18, were among 14 passengers on a 22-foot Crownline pleasure boat that crashed into a docked tugboat on the evening of Easter Sunday. The impact killed five passengers and injured the rest.
The physical toll on all three men was devastating enough, she said. Adding insult to injury, the impact drove part of the boat”s windshield into Josh Moore”s mouth, knocked out most of his front teeth and damaged his rear molars. His braces had been removed a week before. Now, he can”t chew and can barely speak.
“He”s in a lot of pain,” Suzen Moore said. “He has a broken neck and all he can think about is his teeth.”
Josh Moore will need reconstructive dental work his insurance carrier won”t cover, according to his mother.
Justin Moore was released from the hospital after a week. Suzen Moore said the crash broke his ribs, took half of his right ear and killed his girlfriend and two best friends.
Frank Moore is undergoing extensive rehabilitation at Heartland Rehabilitation Services in Orange Park, Florida after his release from Shands Jacksonville Medical Center two weeks ago. Suzen Moore said her husband is learning to walk and feed himself again after the accident fractured his skull.
“Had to learn everything all over again,” Suzen Moore said.
Frank Moore recognized only his wife at first, but now she said he recognizes others as well. He now suffers from short-term memory loss. Suzen Moore hopes her husband will be able to go home in six weeks, but it could be as long as eight weeks until he is cleared. She said he will have to travel by train, because the cabin pressure in an airplane could be lethal to his still swollen brain.
Making matters worse is the fact that Suzen Moore”s income was cut nearly in half when she started receiving disability benefits after a back injury in January. She said she was halfway through her physical therapy and had to put it on hold when her husband and sons were injured.
“It”s horrible because of the people who were lost, and it”s harder for the people who survived. It will never be the same; too many lives were affected by this,” Suzen Moore said.
An account has been set up at Mendo-Lake Credit Union in Lakeport to help with the family”s medical bills. Donations can be made at any branch to the “Moore Fundraising Account.” For more information, call Mendo-Lake at 263-0162.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
