CLAY, W.Va. — The Clay County community is trying to rally around a family which suffered a painful loss. Brothers James Neal III, 7, and Zayden Hurley, 13, were killed in a car wreck last weekend. A third child who was a friend of the family and also 13 was severely injured.
The family was returning from a football game in Richwood when the driver veered off the road and struck the rear end of a front-end loader on Route 16 at Indoore.
The news spread quickly in the small community and Clay County Superintendent Philip Dobbins pulled together administrators from all four of the county’s schools to prepare for the students’ and staff return. Hurley and the surviving teen attend school at Clay Middle School and Neal was a study at Clay Elementary, but formerly attended Big Otter Elementary. The boys were well known at the high school as well because of football ties.
“We learned we’d lost two of our students and one was seriously injured and in the hospital. We convened a meeting on Sunday to have a plan of support for both students and staff,” said Dobbins.
Dobbins said they had their own counselors ready to work with anybody feeling the need to talk. Braxton County Superintendent Donn Burge Tetrick also offered up counselors form her county to assist.
“Yesterday, obviously was a somber day to say the least, but that’s how we got the support we needed was through our own and through Braxton County’s support,” he said.
The community is coming together with a number of fundraisers to help the family with funeral expenses. A fund has been established a the Clay County Bank to make donations. Dobbins said others have reached out with plans for a variety of fundraising efforts. Dobbins said they’ve reached out to the family to offer condolences and any support they may need, but so far the school system has had no contact with the family.
An investigation into the accident continues.