Family of Mauling Victim Asks for Toy Trucks to be Donated to Charity

The Derkosh family of Whitehall is asking that interested parties, in lieu of flowers, donate toy construction trucks to a children's Christmas charity in memory of 2-year old Maddox Derkosh, who died tragically at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Sunday.

The trucks are being accepted right now at William Slater II Funeral Service on Greentree Road in Scott Township. They will also be accepted at Derkosh's funeral Mass at St. Bernard Church in Mt. Lebanon at 10 a.m. on Friday.

Friends will be welcomed for a viewing of Maddox at Slater Funeral Service from 2 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, according to Maddox's obituary on the funeral service's website.

Maddox was visiting the Pittsburgh Zoo with his mother when he fell from the top of a platform railing to the ground inside of the pit area of an African painted dogs exhibit. He was mauled to death by the dogs.

A group of families who belong to Whitehall's St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin Parish have started a Facebook page to also raise funds for the Derkosh family.

"A few of us moms from St. Gabriel's wanted to do something for the Derkosh family," page creator Jennifer Gannon said. "We came up with the idea to raise money for them. With the money raised, we plan on getting various gift cards from various different places and also give a monetary donation.

"Any amount will help. The account is set up through PayPal, and you can donate any amount you would like."

Click here for Gannon's Facebook page.

This story originally appeared on Baldwin-Whitehall Patch