Friends rally around mom injured in fatal motorcycle crash
Friends are looking to support a single mother of three after she suffered injuries in a motorcycle crash that killed her boyfriend Thursday on Route 422 West near the exit to Route 8 North.
The GoFundMe’s goal is to raise $10,000 for Kristi Cross, 31, of Chicora, with the funds benefiting her children, medical expenses and other bills.
Cross’s fiance, Frank J. Weber, 34, was killed in the crash, after he was struck by a downed wire on the road.
Police said a vehicle traveling east on Route 422 with an oversize load had pulled the utility wire down. Documents show the wires then struck Weber and Cross, who were riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Police said Friday that the fatal crash is still under investigation.
Brittany Mckissick, of Butler, said Cross has been her friend since they went to Emily Brittain Elementary School in the city, and describes her as a caring individual.
“She wants the best for everybody and gets along with everybody,” she said. “And she loved Frank so much.”
Cross and Weber had been dating for three years, according to Mckissick.
“He was one of a kind,” she said of Frank. “He was a hard worker, and always had a joke.”
Cross was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh to be treated for injuries she suffered in the accident, Mckissick said. On Friday, Cross was scheduled to undergo surgery on her ankle.
“We’re helping her cover medical expenses, dental expenses — because she lost a few teeth — and care for her kids during this time,” she said. “We’re trying to figure out who’s going to take care of her.”
According to Mckissick, Cross has three children: Hendrix, 8, and 6-year-old twin girls, Xolani and Xelina.
Mckissick said Cross is in stable condition but is “very beat up.”
“She really needs all the support she can get,” she said.
Mckissick encouraged people who know Cross to try and provide a home-cooked meal for her when she returns from the hospital and to donate to support her at gofund.me/e3454631.
This article was updated Sept. 6, 2023 to reflect that Kristi Cross was Frank Weber’s fiance. Cross shared this is a later interview with the Eagle. Previously, she was idenified as his girlfriend.
