Community rallies around Santa Rosa musician injured in motorcycle crash, raises $10,000 in 24 hours

A Santa Rosa musician is on the road to recovery after being injured in a motorcycle crash and getting a boost from supporters who collectively donated more than $10,000 in less than a day to an online fundraising campaign.
Alex Miletich, 32, was riding his 2001 Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Super Glide west on West College Avenue in Santa Rosa Oct. 14 when a car made a left turn into the Safeway parking lot, cutting off Miletich, who slammed into the vehicle. The collision sent him airborne.
“I had this feeling of getting launched,” he said Saturday in a phone call. “That’s the last thing I remember.”
Santa Rosa police Sgt. Patricia Seffens said in a message Tuesday that the other driver involved in the crash was not cited and the investigation into the incident was ongoing.
In the days that followed the wreck, Miletich underwent two surgeries for multiple fractures to each his left elbow and right pelvis. He spent a week in traction in the hospital, followed by several days in a skilled nursing facility, before being sent home Oct. 23, where he will continue to recover with the help of his wife, Sarah.
“I don’t know what I would do without her,” he said.
Miletich, a heavy metal guitarist in local band Vile Rites and Oakland band Mortuous and a sales manager at Santa Rosa-based guitar accessory and electronics manufacturer EMG Pickups, said it will be weeks before he will be able to leave the house or return to work.
Since the crash, Miletich said the couple has been buoyed by an outpouring of support from family, friends and the heavy metal community, who have offered to bring food to the house and hold benefit concerts.
Sarah, who’s been out of work for the last two weeks while caring for her husband, added that friends have helped in seemingly small ways, from watching their dogs to helping her install accessibility equipment around the house, that have made a huge difference.
“Alex has been going through the body trauma, and for me it’s been an emotional toll,” she said. “(It feels like) it’s all on me but it hasn’t been all on me because I’ve had so much help.”
The couple decided to launch a GoFundMe page last week to help cushion the financial fallout from the crash.
“It was something we debated,” he said of the GoFundMe. “Ultimately we got the feeling that people wanted to help.”
In less than 24 hours, more than 100 people had donated, helping the couple surpass their $10,000 goal. As of Wednesday morning, the page has collected $11,115 from 106 donors.
Miletich said the response was “pretty mind blowing.”
The money will be going toward medical expenses, including outfitting the house for mobility assistance and ongoing physical therapy, he said.
Beyond the financial support, Miletich said this experience has ultimately renewed his faith in the power of community.
“When you have a real community of real people around you and you invest into that community year after year, and show up for those people whenever you can, sometime you get paid back ten-fold when you’re really in need,” he said.