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Donors give thousands to help teen hurt in crash By JESSICA SMITH Community members have collected thousands of dollars to help an Eagle Point boy recovering from injuries from a car crash that killed his parents and sister April 7. One group of youth wrestlers raised more than $7,000 for Juan Knapp, 14, who remained in serious condition late Saturday at a Redding, Calif., hospital. "Kids were coming out and putting their meal money in the pot. People were writing checks for $300 to $500 a pop to help out," said Bob Bergen, athletic director at Eagle Point high school, where Knapp is a freshman wrestler. "It's been amazing how the wrestling community came together to support our efforts." Club West, a youth wrestling group Bergen helps direct, collected the money at a club tournament in Reno, Nev., where Knapp and his family were headed when the family's car ran into an oncoming pickup truck about 70 miles from the Oregon border and collided with a pickup. Knapp's parents, 45-year-old Stephen and 41-year-old Catherine, and his sister, Carlie, 16, all died in the accident. The driver of the pickup, Harry Cianci of Grenada, Calif., also died. Knapp was critically injured in the crash, suffering collapsed lungs, a detached liver and a broken leg, pelvis and jaw. Bergen said the boy underwent surgery to repair his pelvis and jaw on Monday at Mercy Medical Center in Redding. Doctors there upgraded Knapp's condition from critical to serious. "He's about as well as can be expected," said Julie Thompson, a family friend. Knapp has continued to show signs of improvement, such as responding to simple commands from his doctors, Bergen said. "They're keeping him pretty sedated," he added. "But at this point, it looks like everything is good. The word is he's gradually coming out of it." Once Knapp heals from his injuries, he's going to need a lot of support to get over the loss of his family, Bergen said. The Knapps were widely considered one of the community's most caring and generous families, he said. "That's the thing we're all really concerned about at this point -- whether he can handle it emotionally." Donations are still being accepted for the Knapp Family Fund at any local Western Bank branch. Contributions also will be accepted for the Medical and Educational Trust Account for Juan B. Knapp at North Valley Bank, 2930 Bechelli Lane, Redding, CA, 96002. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA