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Rasmussen, 58, of Whiting, was identified by her family on a GoFundMe campaign as an emergency room nurse on her way home from work when the Brick Township crash occurred, "killing her instantly."
"She spent a lot of her life dedicated to helping people working as an ER nurse," Rasmussen's daughter, Kelly Kracsun wrote on the campaign. She would take the shirt off her back for absolutely anyone and would do anything for the people she loved. This is such a tragedy and our family will never be the same."
The campaign had raised more than $33,000 as of Sunday, Dec. 29.
The 58-year-old Whiting resident was heading home from work when Jose Romero Quinteros, 53, of Howell, drove a Toyota Rav4 eastbound in the westbound lanes and crossed a concrete barrier, colliding head-on with Rasmussen’s Volkswagen Beetle near the Lowe’s home improvement store, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
The crash happened around 5 a.m. Rasmussen was partially ejected from her vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
Quinteros was extricated from his vehicle and transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he is in critical but stable condition. Brick Township Police issued Quinteros summonses for Driving While Intoxicated and Reckless Driving.
In addition to her daughter, Kelly, Rasmussen is survived by her husband, Vilhelm Rasmussen; her sons, Nicholas and Daniel Kracsun; grandchildren Sophia Mundy, and Aria Kracsun, and Colton Baker.
“This is such a tragedy, and our family will never be the same,” Kracsun wrote. “I hope everyone hugs their loved ones a little tighter tonight because you truly never know when it might be the last time.”
The investigation into the crash is ongoing, led by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, with assistance from Brick Township Police and other local agencies.
Click here to donate to Rasmussen's loved ones.
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