Life taken: Family learning to cope after loss of husband, father

Dan Kulin

Tuesday, April 22, 2003 | 11:05 a.m.

Eight-year-old Chance Holt said he heard a car coming down the road fast, so his father told him to move closer to the curb alongside of the bicycle lane they were riding in.

Susan Holt said that last fatherly advice probably saved her older son's life as moments later a pickup truck hit Chris Kanani Holt and Chance on Torrey Pines Drive near Ursus Drive in northwest Las Vegas.

Chance, whose middle name is also Kanani, the Hawaiian word for beautiful, was knocked to the ground, badly bruised and needed a dozen stitches on his ankle.

Police say Chris Holt, 44, was killed instantly.

"I still feel like he's going to walk in the door any minute," his 39-year-old wife said Monday. "It's still hard to believe he's not coming home."

The accident happened last Tuesday afternoon, and it wasn't until Friday that she felt capable of reading some newspaper reports about the accident that killed her husband of 11 years. The television, however, stays tuned to children's shows.

"We watch the Disney Channel. It's the only one I can handle," she said.

Reading about the details of the accident, Susan Holt thought it couldn't have been as bad as was reported. But the story didn't change: The truck was speeding away from another accident when it hit her husband, throwing him onto the hood of the truck, where he remained stuck as the truck continued for more than a mile. Police say the driver eventually stopped, pulled Chris Holt off the truck and ran over his body as he sped away.

"I don't know how you can drive with someone on the front of your hood," Susan Holt said.

Also, Michael Krivak, the man police say was driving the truck that hit the Holts, has a history of drunken driving convictions in New Mexico, and police say he was driving drunk again last Tuesday.

"He never should have been out there in the first place with his record," Susan Holt said.

As his mother spoke with the media for the first time Monday, holding a series of interviews with television and newspaper reporters, Chance was there too, although he remained quiet, sometimes listening to his mother speak, or playing on a handheld video game, or playing peek-a-boo with his 10-month-old brother, Cheyne Kekoa Holt.

Chance said he feels fine, but his mother worries.

On the way home from getting Chance at the hospital the night of the accident Susan Holt told her son "Daddy is with God."

So far Chance has stood up well to the situation and the ensuing overwhelming attention from friends, family and the media, she said.

But she wonders how Chance will react once all the "hoopla" ends.

"It's scary to think about down the road," she said.

Chance's classmates returned to school from a weeklong vacation Monday, but Susan Holt is not sure when Chance will go back.

There are also schedules to adjust now that she is a single parent.

Chris Holt owned Kanani Inc., a commercial cleaning franchise he bought from Jani-King of Las Vegas, which kept him busy at night but freed up his days to spend time with his family and to snowboard in the winter.

This meant that Chris was home to take care of his son on school vacations.

"Now I've got to think what I'll do with Chance. ... He'll be out of school and not have a dad to take care of him," his widow said.

She'll also have to adjust to mornings without Chris's help. While Susan would get ready for work in the customer service division at Citibank, Chris would get their youngest son dressed and ready for her to drop off at day care.

"He helps in the morning because I'm not a morning person. He gets the baby ready," she said.

The accident also forced Susan Holt to take over the family finances. She found out they were behind on their mortgage payments. But that has since been taken care of with a big donation from Joe Scala of Courtesy GMC.

"It was a very big surprise," she said. "Now we're month to month again. ... It took a big load off me."

She said she has been overwhelmed by the support she has received from friends, neighbors and the greater Las Vegas community.

"I didn't realize there were so many good people in Vegas," she said.

A bank account has been established to accept donations for the Holts. Donations should be made to "The Holt Family" and brought to any branch of Nevada State Bank. For information, call Alan Cates at 384-9900.

"There's been a lot of generosity, financial and emotional," Susan Holt said. "And the beautiful memorial on Torrey Pines."

In the days after the accident friends and family remembered Chris as a loving father and generous friend and neighbor who would often be seen riding bikes or playing catch with his son, and who was quick to lend a neighbor a hand.

"Anybody who met him he made an impression and you were drawn to him after that," his widow said. "He was always my rock."

Funeral services and a reception are scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at the Holy Spirit Lutheran Church 6670 W. Cheyenne Ave.

Chris Holt is to be cremated and his ashes will be spread in the ocean off of his native Hawaii, where his father's ashes were also spread.