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Apr 11, 2023

Friends raise money after KC tattoo artist injured in crash

Jake Kaullen is currently recovering at a local hospital. Jake Kaullen is

Jake Kaullen is currently recovering at a local hospital.

Jake Kaullen is currently recovering at a local hospital.

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Jake Kaullen is currently recovering at a local hospital.

Friends and family are raising money for a local tattoo artist after he was badly injured in a car accident.

Jake Kaullen is currently recovering at a local hospital after doctors placed him in a medically induced coma for ten days after the crash January 19.

"Shook me up a lot. I got the call at like 4-something in the morning right after it happened," said Eddie Steffan.

Steffan, the owner of "Working Class Tattoo" on Westport Road in Kansas City, has been a friend and co-worker with Kaullen for about the past 15 years.

"It's your friend. Nobody wants their friend to suffer or hurt or not be them anymore because of an accident. It's a scary thought to think about you know. We’re all here one second and then something so trivial that you do every day that you take for granted like driving a car can change everything in a heartbeat," Steffan said.

On Sunday, Steffan had 11 artists tattooing customers to raise money for Kaullen.

"It's amazing how the tattoo industry came together. Because a lot of times as an artist you don't have a 401(k) or insurance or other things most normal people have in a 9 to 5 job," he said.

In addition to the Sunday fundraiser, there are two raffles going on for another week at "Working Class Tattoo" to raise money for Kaullen.

One is for several art prints and the other one is for a tattoo machine.

Raffle tickets are $20 each.

At a shop called "Gnarly Hussle" in Raytown, Kaullen's artwork is on the wall in the enclosed garage.

In that same area, there are still about 200 donated items left over after a garage sale this past weekend to raise money for Kaullen.

"We’re going to keep the sale going, this stuff was all donated and people don't want the stuff back and we want to get it out and get some money into Jake's pocket for his recovery," said Pat Clifton, "Gnarly Hussle" co-owner.

In addition to the fundraisers, there's also a gofundme page for Kaullen Steffan and another friend, Colby Morton, organized.

Altogether, friends say they’ve raised more than $20,000 for Kaullen in less than a week.

On Tuesday, Kaullen's daughter Trinity left an updated message on the gofundme page.

It says Kaullen has regained consciousness.

When told about the fundraisers, Trinity said her dad cried and said "So many friends love me".