Issaquah Girl's Campaign for Clean Water Lives On, Tops $200K

The campaign for clean water in developing nations started by Rachel Beckwith, who died Saturday at age 9, has snowballed beyond her initial $300 birthday goal.

Rachel, of Issaquah, died Saturday several days after suffering head and spinal injuries in a multi-vehicle pileup that started when a semi truck struck a logging truck on Interstate 90.  The crash, which sent seven people to local hospitals, remains under investigation, according to Trooper Julie Startup with the Washington State Patrol.

After announcing that Rachel would not survive her injuries, pastors from her church, EastLake Community Church, which is based in Bothell, encouraged people to remember Rachel by donating to her Charity: Water campaign, which raises money to help communities in developing nations find clean water.

Rachel started the campaign for her ninth birthday last month. (Click here for her Charity: Water website.)

Rachel did not reach her $300 goal by her birthday, but in the past week, her campaign has raised more than $200,000 for the charity, according to her website.

Several news organizations, including Bellevue Patch, . While she was in the hospital, campaigns went up to more than $24,000.

Rachel's mother, Samantha Paul, thanked visitors for their donations and support on Rachel's Charity: Water webpage.

"I am in awe of the overwhelming love to take my daughters dream and make it a reality. In the face of unexplainable pain you have provided undeniable hope. Thank you for your generosity! I know Rachel is smiling!" she wrote.

Rachel was a passenger in a 1998 Lexus ES3 sedan driven by her mother when it was one of the vehicles struck in a multiple-vehicle crash on Interstate 90 on Wednesday that started when a semi-truck crashed inot the rear axle of a logging truck, causing the logging truck to fishtail, according to the Washington State Patrol.

On its blog, EastLake Community Church also encouraged people to help Rachel's family by donating toward her medical expenses here:

Rachel’s Medical Expenses (Band Of Brothers)

Church teaching and leadership team member Jeremy Johnson said in a video that Rachel asked people to donate to the charity, which helps people find safe sources of drinking water in Africa, as a birthday gift.

"As she turned 9, she wanted to give her birthday to Charity: Water, so she could make a difference around the world and bring water to people who didn’t have any," he said.

He said Rachel was disappointed because she didn’t quite receive the $300 for her ninth birthday goal and already was preparing to get ready to raise money for her tenth birthday next year.

Update: Tuesday 1:45 p.m.:

State Patrol Seeks Witnesses to the Crash

The Washington State Patrol continues to investigate the multi-vehicle crash that critically injured Rachel Beckwith.

The crash occurred Wednesday, July 20, around 8 a.m. when a tractor trailer struck a logging truck and set off a 14-vehicle pileup on westbound Interstate 90 just east of the Interstate 405 exit.

The tractor trailer, driven by Richard H. Noble, 60, of Concrete, was headed westbound in the right-hand lane and came upon stopped traffic, said Washington State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Keith Trowbridge.

Noble tried to brake, but lost control of his semi and struck a logging cab in the next lane, which was driven by Michael M. Mullins, 61, of Randle, said Washington State Patrol spokeswoman Trooper Julie Startup

The logging cab's rear axle and rear assembly came off, and the load of the logging cab started to fishtail and strike multiple vehicles before Mullins was able to pull the logging truck to the right shoulder of the freeway, Trowbridge said.

The tractor trailer driven by Noble also struck some vehicles that were stopped, Trowbridge said. In all, 14 vehicles were involved, according to the state patrol. Seven people, including Rachel, her younger sister and their mother, Samantha Paul, were taken to local hospitals.

The crash and the investigation blocked Interstate 90 traffic for hours.

Anyone with information, who has not been in contact with investigators, is asked to call either Detective Greg Wilcoxson at 360-805-1195 or Detective Jeff Maijala at 425-401-7742.

Editor's note: This story first appeared in Bellevue Patch.