MESA, Ariz. – Evan Adams’ family want to spread awareness of motorcycle safety, not only for riders, but also for drivers, as they believe his death could have been avoided.

Amanda Shardy was one of Adams’ closest friends.

“His smile, his goofiness. Again, he was just a nice, happy soul to be around,” she said.

Adams, 37, never came home from work on October 22.

READ MORE: Motorcycle crash on Loop 202 in Mesa leaves one dead, causes traffic delays

Mick Degn, executive director of the Arizona Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Foundation, believes many of these accidents are preventable.

“50 percent of motorcycle accidents are the fault of a 4-wheeler who is not seeing or distracted whatever it is,” said Degn.

The accident that claimed Adams’ life occurred when the wheels locked on a Ford F250 carrying two vehicles on a platform, resulting in a tire blowout.

The truck driver swerved into the HOV lane and rear-ended Adams on his motorcycle.

Watch FOX 10 Phoenix live:

“Sometimes it’s hard to see a motorcycle, and so you want to always look in the rearview mirror, in the side mirror, and then turn your head to look,” Degn said.

Pinned between the concrete barrier and the truck, Adams did not survive the collision.

“You see the news articles and you never think it’s someone you know until it is. When you learn that information, it hits you in a different way,” says Shardy.

His mother described her son as unique, caring for others, valuing family and generous even to strangers.

“He was an amazing person. He was always doing something for someone and it didn’t matter if he knew you or not. If he knew you needed something, he would be willing to step in and help,” she said.

His loved ones hope this tragedy will serve as a reminder to all drivers to be more vigilant and double check before changing lanes. They urge people to be more aware of their surroundings to prevent such incidents.

To help with funeral expenses, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up, with details available on the FOX 10 Phoenix website. Adams will be buried on November 9.