Community Mobilizes To Help New Fairfield High Graduate After VA Car Crash

NEW FAIRFIELD, CT — A recent graduate of New Fairfield High School was severely injured in a car crash in Virginia in May, and the community is rallying to help his family during his recovery.

Brendan Cummins, 18, who graduated from the local high school in 2025, was a passenger in a car involved in a multi-vehicle accident on May 14.

A family friend, Jill Delaney of New Fairfield, has organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help the family with expenses, and the beneficiary is Cummins’ mother, Kimberly McVeigh.

Cummins suffered severe head trauma and a fractured skull, and he had to undergo an emergency craniotomy. According to the fundraising campaign, called “Strength for the McVeigh Family,” Cummins remains unconscious and has been fighting pneumonia and an infection.

“We are reaching out to ask for your support for our friends Kim & Kevin McVeigh and their family, following a tragic family emergency,” the campaign states.

As of Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., the effort had raised $29,025 toward the $35,000 goal.

Cummins has been showing improvement, including breathing on his own and showing minor involuntary movements, according to the campaign.

Family members have been visiting him while he is being treated at a hospital in Virginia. Ronald McDonald House has provided a room for the family to stay in, which has helped, but the campaign organizer says “the road ahead is long.”

Money raised through the campaign will be used to cover the family’s expenses, expected to include travel, food and hotels.

Matthew Demlein, public relations coordinator for the Virginia State Police, said Tuesday the crash remains under investigation.

The accident happened May 14 at 6:40 p.m. on Interstate 495 southbound in Fairfax County. According to police, a 2005 Toyota Corolla was southbound when it attempted to change lanes to the right and struck a 2020 Honda Civic. The Civic then spun out and struck a 2024 Honda HR-V in the far-left lane. The collision forced the Civic into the express lanes, on the left, where it struck a 2007 Toyota Corolla Matrix, police said.

Cummins, who was wearing a seatbelt, was a passenger in the Civic, and he was the most seriously injured in the accident. The driver of the Civic, Nathan A. Bach, 18, of Springfield, Virginia., suffered minor injuries. Both were transported to a nearby hospital, police said.

Visit the GoFundMe campaign website HERE.