Child dies in car accident on Christmas Eve, Juneau community collects donations
Published 12:30 pm Monday, December 29, 2025
A 7-year-old child died following a car crash near Auke Lake on Christmas Eve. A friend of the child’s family has organized a “silent donation effort” for the family in partnership with a local business.
Juneau Police Department responded to the crash on Wednesday afternoon on Glacier Highway, where a Jeep had colided with a Dodge Ram. They found that the 17-year-old driver and 7-year-old passenger of the Jeep were pinned in the vehicle, which had rolled into a ditch.
The child was found unconscious, and she was transported to the hospital before JPD announced that she had died.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but JPD’s initial review found that the had Jeep lost control and veered into oncoming traffic.
Stefanie Bingham, a friend of the family, has organized a fundraiser for the child’s family, according to a Facebook post. Flying Squirrel Espresso will serve as the collection point for donations, and posted Bingham’s message on Saturday.
“The family will remain unnamed, and we kindly ask that their privacy continue to be respected as they grieve and navigate this heartbreaking loss,” Bingham wrote in the post.
Flying Squirrel will collect cash, gift certificates for meal deliveries and Safeway gift cards for the family “to help with groceries and ease daily burdens in the weeks ahead,” Bingham wrote.
