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Do you know what to do if you’re in an accident?
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After hearing of her brother’s death in a fatal motorcycle crash on June 6, Krystal Leach organized a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for his children’s expenses. 

Christopher Harris, 37, died in a motorcycle crash involving a pickup truck June 6 near Val Vista Drive and Los Alamos Street in Gilbert.

Police said the driver of the pickup truck pulled onto Val Vista Drive from a neighborhood street when the rear of his truck hit Harris’ motorcycle. 

Harris died from the injuries.

According to his sister, Harris was well-liked and a loving father who cared deeply about those around him.  

“He was definitely the life of the party because he touched so many people. There was definitely no one that was a stranger, and … he started a conversation with anybody.

“It touches my heart to know that he left such a good impact on a lot of people,” she said.  

Leach said that Harris, who worked at a tent-construction company, had just been promoted at the time of his death. He was the main provider for his 10-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter, and his sudden departure compelled Leach to do something for them. 

“I didn’t want to seem greedy, as far as the campaign, that’s why I kept it as low as I did with the $5,000. I plan on starting accounts for the kids. That way, they have … savings so, when they turn 18, they have money,” Leach said.

In addition, funds raised from the GoFundMe campaign also go toward the children’s school and daily living expenses. 

“They are still in school, and they still have to be taken care of, as far as that goes,” Leach said.

Harris’ two children currently live with their uncle, Leach said, and took their father’s death hard.

“It’s still a struggle for them. … They cried off and on and made it known they really do miss their dad. That’s probably the hardest part for them, not having him around anymore,” Leach said.   

Jason Springer, a friend of Harris, described Harris as a great dad father and said he was like a brother.

“We’ve just come into hard times with his passing, because we have to figure out what’s going to happen with the schooling and stuff like that,” Springer said.

Springer also hopes the campaign raises awareness about motorcyclists on the streets. He said crashes like these scare him off from riding his motorcycle in the public. 

“We see these accidents happen all the time, fatalities, due to people not looking out for motorcyclists. We want to make sure that that is also put out there as well since … Chris was a motorcyclist,” he said.    

Police said it still was too early to determine fault in the crash.

Over $2,500 has already been raised so far. 

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