Paralyzed NJ trooper in need of more help

(WTXF) - It's more than ten years since an on-duty New Jersey state trooper was paralyzed from the neck down in a crash.

Brian Malast was on patrol in his marked State Police vehicle on Oct. 23, 2005. He was airlifted to Cooper Trauma Center where doctors and other medical personnel saved his life, but Malast was left paralyzed.

Eventually, he returned home to Manchester, Ocean County, where he lives under 24-hour nursing care.

Due to his medical condition, Malast relies upon a ventilator to breathe and a specially-equipped van that his family uses to transport him.

After all this time, that van he needs to leave his home can no longer be serviced, and its lack of reliability is an outright danger to his life.

Click here for a GoFundMe page set up to help Trooper Malast and his family. Donations to the New Jersey State Troopers Non Commissioned Officers Association Foundation will be specifically used to purchase and equip a new vehicle to transport Malast.