Pocatello man who died in Aberdeen crash was heading home to take wife to her first ultrasound

ABERDEEN — A GoFundMe has been launched to help pay for the funeral and memorial services of a Pocatello man who died following a Tuesday afternoon crash near Aberdeen.

Kimball Ashkraft, 29, was the passenger in a work vehicle when the accident happened on Idaho Highway 39 in Bingham County.

Ashkraft was heading home to take his wife to an ultrasound — the first such appointment for the couple’s second child, Ashkraft’s mother-in-law, Janet Jeppson, said on the GoFundMe page.

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“Losing your best friend and partner is bad enough, but also the father to your child and unborn child is almost unbearable for her and she is really struggling,” Jepsson said. “This wasn’t the way she wanted to tell people about her pregnancy … but it’s part of the story at this point.”

According to the GoFundMe page, the Ashkrafts had been discussing life insurance, but hadn’t yet settled on a company, so they were not insured at the time of the crash. The family is hoping to raise $15,000 to cover funeral and memorial expenses.

Neither Ashkraft nor the driver of the vehicle he was in were wearing a seatbelt when the truck crashed. Both were rushed to the hospital, where Ashkraft eventually died due to injuries sustained in the crash.

His family is encouraging everyone to use a seatbelt while in any vehicle.