Chris Soules Defended by Victim’s Family Member After Fatal Car Crash

Earlier this week, “The Bachelor” alum Chris Soules was involved in a car collision that killed Kenneth Mosher, 66.

Soules reportedly knew the victim, who lived near his home in Arlington, Iowa. Mosher's relative Robert Roepke told People magazine, “I don't know what happened there. I know if he had seen him passing on the road, they'd probably greet each other. They lived 10 miles apart or something like that but they had land that bordered each other that they farmed. I think, yeah they knew each other, but they were in different social circles."

Despite the tragedy, Robert defended Chris, saying, "I believe it was a very tragic, sad accident that took the life of a guy that was just coming home from work. This is corn-planting time, the best time of the year for a farmer. Kenny was working on one of the farms just a little north of Aurora and I think he was just coming home. For Chris, what happened was just a freak accident.”

"Chris comes from a good family and is still well-vested in farming. He's got a great life ahead of him,” Robert reiterated. “This is a serious bump in the road and I don't know about his [alleged] alcohol issue but I just know that this was a huge mistake. It's something he's going to have to deal with for the rest of his life. It just ended very tragically.”

Court documents revealed that alcoholic beverages or containers were found at the scene of the accident.

As for how the Mosher family is handing Kenneth's sudden passing, Roepke commented, "Ken was just a guy – a husband, grandfather, a dad. He loved farming and cared about the land. He was a good guy. He was doing his business, taking care of business. The Moshers are in shock and still trying to process it all."

Roepke did question Chris' decision to leave the scene of the fatal accident, telling RadarOnline.com, "We're trying to figure out why he left the scene. This is something he has to share and the rest of us can only speculate. He may have known Kenny was already gone at that point. What was going through his head? It is a bad day.”

As a result of his actions, Chris was charged with a fatal hit-and-run. Robert said, "Chris has created his own problems. This is life-changing for him. He has to deal with it himself. This isn't the direction his family wanted him to go in. It was huge mistake. That will haunt him for the rest of his life.”

Following the accident, Soules deleted his Instagram and released a statement through his rep: "Chris Soules was involved in an accident Monday evening (April 24) in a rural part of Iowa near his home. He was devastated to learn that Kenneth Mosher, the other person in the accident, passed away. His thoughts and prayers and with Mr. Mosher's family.”

It has just been revealed that Soules was the one to call 911 after rear-ending Mosher. In the audio, obtained by "Extra," Chris told the dispatcher that "there's blood" coming out of Mosher's mouth. At the time, Chris could "feel a pulse," but was unable to administer CPR. When asked if Mosher was breathing, Soules responded, "I can't tell. He doesn't appear to be." Listen.