KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The owners of a Kansas City restaurant have set up a trust fund to oversee donations for injured staff and other people affected by the explosion that killed one employee and injured several others.
The Feb. 19 explosion and fire at the restaurant, JJ's, injured 15 people and killed JJ's employee Megan Cramer. One JJ's employee remains hospitalized. The cause remains under investigation.
The trust fund, which has been set up at the Country Club Bank, will be used to assist JJ's staff with medical bills and financial losses, and to provide treatment needed to deal with psychological or emotional issues.
"My staff wakes up with nightmares," JJ's co-owner Jimmy Frantze said at a news conference Thursday to announce the creation of the fund.
The president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which manages the Sprint Center and the Sprint Center Foundation, said they will contribute a combined $50,000 to the fund, The Kansas City Star reported. JJ's will contribute $5,000 to the fund.
Expenditures from the fund will be managed by a three-member board of trustees. Frantze and his brother, JJ's co-owner David Frantze, said they hope the trustees will also consider requests from gas company workers, emergency responders and others injured by the explosion and fire.