WAUKEE, Iowa — A family friend of Keith Bychinski, the man who drowned on Thursday in Kettlestone Commons Pond in Waukee, is working to help support his family following the accident.
Addisyn Hansen, an incoming senior at Earlham Senior High School, works with Bychinski's mother and said she "had to do something" to support the family who are grieving the loss of 31-year-old Bychinski.
"It hurts my heart actually knowing that [Bychinski's mother's] going through this," she said.
Hansen started a GoFundMe page to help support Bychinski's family and help pay for funeral expenses with an initial goal of $2,000. However, as of Tuesday morning, the fundraiser has surpassed $5,500.
"I felt like nothing was going to happen if someone didn't take charge. So I was the person that needed to set it up," Hansen told Local 5 News.
Hansen's mother, Jackie, said her daughter set up the GoFundMe by herself, something she didn't even know about it until she came across the fundraiser on Facebook, but was super proud of her daughter when she saw what Addisyn had done.
Authorities said Bychinski of Earlham was working in the area of the Kettlestone Commons Ponds when he tried to recover a fishing pole for two boys who were fishing at the pond. The boys did not see the man go under the water as they had run for help, officials added.
Hansen told Local 5 News that Bychinski tried so hard to help the boys at the pond who lost their fishing pole, and was someone who really helped others. Others who knew Bychinski mentioned he was an outdoorsman.