Jacob Montoya will benefit from the kindness and generosity of neighbors and friends as he works to recover from a serious motor vehicle accident.
Courtesy photos

The Socorro community is rallying around Jacob Montoya, an 18-year-old Socorro man fighting back after a serious one-car accident. Social media posts send prayers, support and love to the family, but efforts to raise money for his medical bills are also underway.

A GoFundMe has been set up (by Theresa Rosales), and a fundraising car wash will be held Aug. 5, 8 a.m. at Positive Outcomes in Socorro.

Montoya was driving toward the Bosque Del Apache Refuge on Highway 1, July 24 around 9:30 p.m., when his vehicle left the road, according to his mother, Nicole. The cause of the accident is unknown, but photos of the truck posted on Facebook show extensive damage on all four sides.

Montoya suffered severe spinal cord injuries and was flown to a hospital in Albuquerque where he has had surgery to repair and stabilize his spine.

VLA firefighter Jacob Montoya

Nicole Montoya told the Chieftain that her son “has no feeling or movement below his waist but is slightly improving with time. He’s currently in ICU and the goal is to get him to a spinal rehab center in Colorado.”

Montoya, a 2023 graduate of Socorro High School, had just started a job on the fire brigade at the Very Large Array. Chief Jason Everett said that from his very first day, Jacob “demonstrated an aptitude and passion for firefighting…. the very next day when we had a grass fire… he was unafraid and aggressive in putting the fire out.” The chief concluded that “it was obvious to me that he was hooked.”

The Aug. 5 car wash will start at 8 a.m. at Positive Outcomes, located at 1115 California Street, between their building and Sonic Drive-In.

Jay Ann Cox, El Defensor Chieftain Editor