By Jennifer Sheehan
The Morning Call
LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — Friends and family are uniting around a Lackawanna County police officer who lost his 14-year-old sister and 12-year-old brother in a crash on Interstate 80 that also killed an Allentown man.
On its Facebook page, the Lackawanna College Police Academy urged people to donate to a GoFundMe account to help defray medical and funeral expenses for the family of Officer Aleksey Dmitriev, who works for the Moscow Police Department and is also an EMT. The police academy also said people could donate through the academy.
“Thank you for whatever you can do to help this public servant and his family, and please spread the word to anyone you know who has the means to help. Thank you,” the police academy said on its Facebook page.
The accident happened at about 4:30 p.m. Friday. According to the GoFundMe page, Dmitriev’s family was coming home from a birthday celebration in New York and was traveling on I-80 west. The family is from Tobyhanna, Monroe County.
According to state police: Luigi Depari, 61, of Allentown, was traveling on I-80 east when his truck jumped the median and hit Dmitriev’s family’s car in the westbound lanes.
Depari was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. Also pronounced dead at the scene was Dmitriev’s 12-year-old brother, Sammy Rutkowski.
Dmitriev’s 14-year-old sister, Andrea Rutkowski, died early Saturday morning at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest as a result of her injuries, according to the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
Dmitriev’s mother, Galine Rutkowski, 45, and stepfather Thomas Rutkowski, 53 suffered severe injuries. Dmitriev’s other sister, 15, whose name was not released, suffered moderate injuries. According to the GoFundMe page, it was that sister’s birthday the family was celebrating.
As of Sunday, more than 250 people had donated nearly $17,000 through the GoFundMe.
“The family has many struggles they must now face. Surmounting medical bills as well as unplanned funeral expenses are further adding to their hardship. Please take the time to donate to this heartbroken family as any help is needed and deeply appreciated. May we keep him and his family in our thoughts,” the GoFundMe page said.
Maryann Grippo, director of academy operations for the Lackawanna College Police Academy, said Dmitriev graduated in 2012.
“We will be speaking with cadets and instructors tomorrow but we will be taking a collection from them and possibly doing additional fundraising for him and his family through the academy,” Grippo said in an email.
If you’d like to contribute to help Officer Aleksey Dmitriev’s family you can visit https://www.gofundme.com/funeral-medical-expenses.
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