Relatives of Taiwanese graduate of US Air Force Academy seriously injured in accident

Washington, June 7 (CNA) — The relatives of a Taiwanese graduate of the United States Air Force Academy who were attending his graduation ceremony were seriously injured in a car accident in Colorado recently. Taiwan’s representative office in the United States has pledged to help with medical expenses.

U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) graduate Hsu Hao-ming (徐皓明) was involved in a car accident in Colorado in late May while driving his mother and grandmother, who were in the U.S. to attend his graduation ceremony from the academy, the Republic of China Air Force Academy (ROCAFA) said.

Hsu was selected by ROCAFA to study at USAFA.

The graduation ceremony was planned for May 30, but on May 25 all three had an accident.

While Hsu recovered after treatment in the United States, his mother and grandmother had to undergo surgery for their injuries and were placed in intensive care.

Although they have insurance, medical treatment in the United States is expensive for the family.

ROCAFA said in a Facebook post that Hsu came from a humble family whose financial resources were insufficient to pay the substantial medical bills abroad and the subsequent care that Hsu’s relatives would need upon their return to Taiwan.

Speaking to CNA, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the U.S. (TECRO) said its military liaison officer and director general of the Denver office, Bill Huang (黃世昌), visited the family in the hospital to provide assistance.

TECRO said the company will do everything in its power to provide medical support to Hsu and his family and also assist with insurance-related matters.

In addition to TECRO, ROCAFA also wanted to help Hsu and his family by setting up a donation account.

Additionally, the Colorado chapter of the Taiwanese Association of America, along with the Colorado Taiwanese Emergency Assistance Association, have set up a GoFundMe account to assist the family.

The GoFundMe statement said Hsu’s mother and grandmother were “fighting for their lives,” but said fundraising efforts on the site had already exceeded the “milestone goal” of $250,000.

Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) assured in Taipei on Friday that the Defense Ministry would do its best to help the family.