An online fundraiser is getting an Abbotsford-based plumber closer to refilling his tool kit.
Brian McCann had all his work tools stolen from the locked canopy of his pickup truck earlier this year. He had left them there without thinking, while grieving the sudden death of his father. And even though a keen-eyed neighbour was on the phone with 911 through the theft, Abbotsford Police were tied up with a violent assault that required all hands on deck.
When McCann tried to report the theft to ICBC, he learned that even his full coverage doesn’t cover items left in a vehicle. For that, he’s since learned, you need to buy insurance through a third-party insurer.
In the meantime, he’s out nearly $6,000 in tools, many of them specific to the plumbing trade.
So, his wife started a GoFundMe. And within three days, that fund has already hit more than $1,000. The theft of someone’s livelihood has hit home for many News readers, with countless comments on a previous story about the theft supporting McCann and offering him help and good wishes.
Some commenters even had similar stories of devastating financial loss. Victims of tool theft can’t make money without their tools, making it extremely hard to recover from.
Tracy Eyres-McCann said her husband “really goes over and above for those that he loves,” in her GoFundMe post.
“It has been a hard hit to him financially and emotionally as this brazen theft occurred mere days after Brian had to deal with the loss of his father and mentor,” she said. “And through it all he was still there for me to grieve my dad who passed away at the end of September and for my father-in-law.”
Several people have donated small and large sums to the McCanns, who are in the process of moving out of Abbotsford to Langley.
To see the account: Brian Mccann’s TOOL Recoup Fund
READ MORE: Abbotsford man out nearly $6,000 in plumbing tools after theft from locked truck
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