The wife of the A&M Consolidated High School soccer coach was killed in a Milam County crash Thursday, and now the soccer community is doing something special to help bring her and her husband's families from Europe to attend the funeral.
The support is growing for Stefano Salerno, whose wife Kirsten was killed in that crash.
28-year-old Kirsten Salerno lost her life Thursday after DPS Troopers say another driver veered into her lane off F-M 485 outside Cameron.
She's the wife of A&M Consolidated's Head Soccer Coach.
"If you don't know Coach Salerno, Stefano Salerno, he is an outstanding individual," said Quinn Williams.
His son plays on the team and with other parents they are working on a fundraiser to help bring members of the Salerno family here for the funeral.
Both Kirsten and Stefano are originally from Malta, off the Coast of Italy and much of their family still lives there.
Fundraisers are accepting cash, food donations, and even frequent flyer miles.
"We're doing all we can to raise as much cash as we can for the families of both Coach Salerno's wife and his family to come here to mourn the death of his wife," said Williams.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation, but DPS Troopers believe both vehicles were traveling at the posted speed limit of 70 when the crash happened. It's unclear if any charges or a citation will be issued.
"This particular road there's not much room for error. There's a lot of hills, a lot of curves, and you know at 102 feet per second at 70 miles an hour it doesn't take much to get across the center stripe," said Senior Corporal Jimmy Morgan with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Friday night Quinn Williams' son put Kirsten's name on his soccer cleats for their game in Conroe.
"The boys are really behind him on this," said Williams.
So far more than $7,000 has been raised, money that will help unite families half a world away.
Two local club soccer teams will also launch a fundraiser Monday selling wristbands in Kirsten Salerno's memory for $5 each.
To help with the soccer team parents' fundraiser contact:
Shaunodonovan@suddenlink.net
We will have more details on the separate wristband fundraiser Monday, after they become available for sale.
