The best friend of Leslie Graham has spoken out to KGTX 7 about her thoughts following the tragic hit-and-run that occurred last weekend. The accident occurred with a 19 year old autistic boy, Landon Graham, who was unfortunately killed in a motorcycle incident in which the driver was charged for a hit-and-run.

Landon’s mother’s best friend, Tera Knighten, spoke to KGTX 7, sharing, “Everybody who met Landon loved him. He just had a personality that stood out, and strangers who met him were drawn to him.”

Landon was a fun, enthusiastic, silly, all-around good kid. Tera stated that he was very in touch with his emotional side and was always able to express that with lots of physical actions, even though the young adult was non-verbal.

To support the family in the midst of this unfortunate loss, Tera has set up two platforms for donations, including both a GoFundMe and Venmo account. The GoFundMe can be found by searching Landon Graham on the GoFundMe website, and the Venmo is under the name Tera Knighten. All donations will go to support Leslie and her family, including buying meals for Leslies other son, Bradley, and covering the cost of Landon’s funeral.

Knighten is the organizer of these two platforms and is urging residents to help the family as they can. She shared to KGTX 7, “They’re a very loving family. They were there for me in a time in which I needed them and had nobody else, and there’s no way I’ll ever be able to repay them for the things they’ve done for me, but this is a start.”

Tera also expressed how important it is for individuals to understand autism and comprehend that there are different types of autism, some being more severe than others. She stated that she would love for people to be more understanding to children who are autistic because often they can’t advocate for themselves and what they need. According to Knighten, awareness and understanding is something that is very important for everyone to learn about and grasp, especially in situations like these.

Photo Credit: Tera Knighten