Family, Friends Rally Around Cyclist Critically Injured In Freak Accident
WAYNE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - A freak accident in Passaic County that injured a local has friends pulling resources together to help with medical expenses.
Friends of Jim DeSalvo and his wife, Cat, are gathered in Wayne doing everything they can to make life easier as Jim battles to stay alive. The 53-year-old was riding his electric bike on Black Oak Ridge Road on Wednesday when a tire came off a Mack dump truck and rolled over, hitting DeSalvo.
Pink spray paint marks the spot where the freak accident occurred.
"He's in very critical condition, and he needs all of the positivity and prayers, and his family needs all the love they can get," said friend Ruth Cleary. She started a GoFundMe for the family.
LINK: GoFundMe To Support DeSalvo's Recovery
Both parents work freelance jobs, and Cat would like to focus on being by her husband's side and taking care of her two teenagers, Rebecca and James.
"They work on a project-by-project basis, and what that means is no sick pay, no paid days off," Cleary said.
"It's really difficult to see this happen to this family when they have done so much for so many others," said friend Frank Culow.
DeSalvo is an accomplished music producer, but friends say his focus has always been on his family.
"He was the guy that you would see walking down the street with his kids, young kids at the time, in the stroller, his dog by his side. He knew all the neighborhood moms, and even more so than that, he was a friend to everybody," Cleary said.
DeSalvo rode his bike all over town.
"It's one his favorite things in life. It's meditative for him," Cleary said.
The couple's 20th wedding anniversary is next week. The family says all of the support from the community has helped keep their hope alive.
DeSalvo is at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson. The accident is still being investigated.
