WOODBINE – A 43-year-old father of four young girls is in critical condition following an accident March 14 in which he broke his nose and suffered a skull fracture, an orbital bone fracture and a laceration to his head.
According to his niece, Ava Reitz, Gabriel Feliciano was on his way to the Family Dollar Store in Woodbine on his moped at about 8 p.m. when he was involved in a car accident. He was not wearing a helmet, she said, although he was wearing face shields.
As of March 18, the State Police in Woodbine said the investigation was ongoing, and no information was available about the accident.
Reitz said Feliciano was airlifted to the trauma unit in Atlantic City, where he remains in critical condition. As of March 20, Reitz said he’s “coherent and awake. He can open his one eye, and he recognizes voices and can feed himself. His legs are still pretty weak, but the doctors don’t think there is any paralysis. He has a long road to recovery ahead of him.”
Reitz said he has no memory of the accident. The family found the candy and snacks he purchased at the Family Dollar Store in his clothes pockets.
She started a GoFundMe to help the family.
“Gabby is a great man who not only goes above and beyond for his children, but also goes above and beyond for his family,” Reitz wrote in her plea for community support. “Whenever anybody needs help, we always call Gabby, and at this time, he and his family are calling out for help, although he and his family would not want me to do this.”
She said Feliciano has been his family’s only source of income for the past couple years because her aunt, Brittany, went back to school to get her certified nursing assistant license. She added that her aunt has started working at a nursing home in Court House.
“On top of medical bills, the family will struggle financially,” Reitz said. “Brittany wants to be by his side as much as she can, so she will have to drive back and forth to Atlantic City each day.”
Contact the reporter, Karen Knight, at kknight@cmcherald.com.
