Woman inadvertently live tweets husband's fatal car accident
There is no easy way to discover the news that a loved one has died. However, the way that Caran Johnson found out about the death of her husband seems unfathomably hard.
The chain of events started yesterday when a newspaper in Vancouver, Washington, alerted its Twitter followers about an accident in the southbound lanes of I-205, an interstate that serves Washington and Oregon.
Johnson, who regularly tweets information heard on the scanner, began sending updates out about the emergency response to the collision. From the get-go, she wasn’t a fan of that particular stretch of the interstate.
“i hate that section of I205 S,” Johnson tweeted. “too many on ramps, speeders and too few lanes.”
About a half-hour after the Columbian first reported the accident on Twitter, Johnson began to worry.
“I'm trying not to panic, but my husband left work early and he drives 205 to get home,” she posted. “he's not answering his phone.”
According to a later tweet, Johnson’s husband was feeling faint and decided to leave work early. As the hours passed and her kids arrived home, Johnson grew more concerned.
The Salmon Creek, Washington, native called 911 and only became more worried when after giving the operator her husband’s licence number, she was transferred and then told that she would receive a call back.
At 6:50pm, she informed her followers that her fear was confirmed.
“it's him. he died.”
Craig Johnson, 47, was pronounced dead at the scene. His Hyundai crossed a grassy median and collided head-on with a Toyota driven by Carol Shelley, 54. According to the Columbian, Shelley was transferred to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Centre’s intensive care unit and was listed in satisfactory condition as of late Wednesday.
The online community is rallying to support Johnson and the two children her husband leaves behind. A fundraising site with a goal of $10,000 has been set up. For more information, click here.
