Fundraiser to benefit widow, 4 children of Prophetstown man killed in car crash

PROPHETSTOWN - A GoFundMe has been established to help the wife and four children of a Prophetstown man who died in a rollover that claimed three lives in September.

Shortly after 11 p.m. on Sept. 24 in rural Rock Falls, Damien K. Martin, 32, of Prophetstown; Antonio L. Caudillo, 27, of Rock Falls; and Zachary N. McCloud, 29, of Sterling, died in a single-vehicle crash after losing control and driving into a ditch on Prophetstown Road near Gaulrapp Road, causing the car to roll several times, according to the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department.

[ Three men dead after rollover in rural Rock Falls ]

Martin’s wife, Liz, has been a beautician for seven years in Prophetstown and has four children.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said.

Diana Verhulst, pastor in Prophetstown and the Franklin Grove Church of the Brethren, helped organize a fundraiser around town and online to help the family with expenses.

“There are mounting debts from the burial. Their car was brand new, and was totaled in the crash. Insurance covered the existing car loan, but there is no money for her to buy a replacement vehicle,” Verhulst said. “As you can imagine, there are other expenses related to the auto accident as well. Now that there is only one household income, Liz needs help.”

So far, they’ve raised $4,645, according to the GoFundMe.

“A community helps itself and heals itself,” she said. “I ask you, along with P-town resident Cindy Sibley, who is helping this cause, to please help Liz today.”

Checks can be mailed to Verhulst at 308 Walnut St., Prophetstown, 61277. Donations can be made online at GoFundMe, or with cash through Sibley. Call or text 815-797-9865 for more information.