IOWA PARK (KFDX/KJTL) — In the early hours of Monday, three local students died in a fatal car crash.

Saturday afternoon, a group from Iowa Park hosted a fish fry to raise funds for the families of the victims. After hearing the tragic news, various communities felt called to organize an event to help offset the expenses.

Zane Coombes and his wife swiftly gathered items to create a fish fry fundraiser.

“A lot of the people from this community contacted my wife saying they wanted to do something,” said Zane Coomes. “My wife on Tuesday came to me and she said, ‘oh, you’re part of the redneck culinary academy. Do you think we could do a fish fry?’ I said, well, Tuesday to Saturday’s kind of hard to get done, but we’ll see what we can get done.”

The Coombes family felt called to support the families of the victims because of how the community rallied around them back in 2006.

“In 2006, my father-in-law tragically drowned at Lake Buffalo,” said Coombes. “This community rallied around my wife and her family and really supported us in that moment. They (the community) did a benefit.”

Coombes states this event left an impression on him and knew he needed to contribute something.

“Another thing is these are just kids, and no parent should outlive their child,” said Coombes. “We want them to know we love them— even though we don’t necessarily know them. People do love them and we’re here for them for it.”

Within the first 30 minutes of this event, many community members poured out their support by showing up or volunteering for the event. Everyone who was able to help helped.

“It’s just amazing how many people came out here today and it’s just really great that people like to support their community,” said Kruz Kennedy, a 5th grader at Iowa Park.

if you missed this event and want to donate Venmo @iphsclassof2026.