Abby Connolly
While the internet can sometimes be a scary void, it can also bring people together and tremendously help others.
Recently, after a TikTok creator shared videos of his family’s Chinese restaurant, which had been destroyed by a drunk driver, strangers from all over began donating money to help them rebuild their lives and beloved restaurant.
Kevin Chen (@hotpothottie) is a TikTok creator who made videos in the past about his parents, who are Chinese immigrants who worked very hard to open and run a Chinese takeout restaurant in Farmingdale, New York, over 20 years ago.
However, in late January, Kevin went viral on TikTok when he recorded a video after a drunk driver tragically crashed into their restaurant and destroyed it. To make matters worse, the drunk driver collided with Kevin’s father’s car, which he used for deliveries, totaling it and pushing it into the restaurant.
“You think your night is going poorly?” asks Kevin in his viral video.
“Well, a drunk driver just crashed through my family’s Chinese takeout restaurant. They’ve been working here every single day for the past 25 years. They don’t speak English and this was their whole life. Now it is ruined.”
In Kevin’s video, the restaurant can be seen in its obliterated state, as the crash took out the entire front of the building and left behind so much wreckage and debris.
The TikTok community quickly stepped up after Kevin’s video went viral with over eight million views.
Thankfully, a friend of the Chen family created a GoFundMe page where people could donate to help rebuild the restaurant and get their lives back on track.
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