The Florida woman who died in an Oak Bluffs moped crash Thursday was remembered by her colleagues as a sweet soul who was dedicated to nurturing women business leaders.
Julie Harris, 41, of Fort Lauderdale, was pronounced dead at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Thursday afternoon after reports that she swerved her rental moped into an oncoming car.
Ms. Harris grew up in a suburb north of Chicago and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from DePaul University in psychology, journalism and education. She moved to Fort Lauderdale during the pandemic, and worked as the senior marketing communication manager and public education director at DeNova Detect, a natural gas alarm company based in the Chicago area.
“Not only was Julie a hardworking, dedicated and accomplished professional dedicated to promoting public safety, she was also a sweet soul,” DeNova Detect COO Ron Lazarus told the Gazette Saturday. “She had so much positive energy and always had a kind word for everyone. We are a very close team and Julie’s sudden and tragic death has devastated us.”
Ms. Harris was on vacation on the Vineyard this week, but was still doing some work with her close-knit team, according to the company. Just an hour before her death, she had spoken with coworkers and was scheduled to do an interview Friday with a Baltimore TV station after a deadly gas explosion occurred there a few days earlier.
Ms. Harris’s job included marketing and educating the public on natural gas safety, according to DeNova Detect, and she often did press interviews and worked with local communities.
“She organized events to donate natural gas alarms to people in need and worked with fire chiefs around the U.S. promoting gas safety,” the company said in a statement. “She sometimes visited natural gas explosion sites to offer support to people who had lost loved ones or their homes.”
Outside of the job, Ms. Harris also founded and was the CEO of the Exceptional Women’s Network, a nonprofit she launched in 2016 to hold networking events and career coaching for women.
“Julie was in the prime of her life and had so many good things ahead of her both on a professional and personal level. No words can describe the magnitude of her loss for us,” Mr. Lazarus said. “We will always remember her ever-present smile and good humor, as well her empathy and support for those in need.”
State police are investigating the crash, which occurred at about 11:30 a.m. on Beach Road near the Big Bridge. Anya Fisher, a passenger who was aboard the moped with Ms. Harris, suffered critical injuries and was flown to a Boston hospital for treatment.
State police did not give an update on Ms. Fisher’s condition Saturday.
Witness statements and video footage in the area showed that both women were wearing helmets when they crashed into a Jeep Wrangler that was driving in the opposite direction.
The exact cause and circumstance of the crash remains under investigation by a crash reconstruction team.
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