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Caran Johnson accidentally live tweets husband's fatal car crash

CARAN Johnson thought she was just tweeting about another peak-hour traffic jam. Then she realised her husband was missing and the unthinkable happened.

Rebecca Sullivan and Matt Young
4 min read
December 6, 2013 - 12:42PM
NewsComAu
Craig R Johnson died in a two-car collision on a Vancouver freeway on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Washington State Police P...
Craig R Johnson died in a two-car collision on a Vancouver freeway on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Washington State Police P...

THIS is one of the most heartbreaking stories we've ever heard.

A Washington woman has unknowingly live-tweeted her husband's death in a car crash.

Craig Johnson, 47, died in a two-car collision on a southbound freeway in Padden Parkway, Vancouver, Washington state, yesterday afternoon, The Columbian reports.

His wife Caran, who is well known among local media outlets for tweeting about traffic incidents and news events, began tweeting about the accident using the Twitter handle @ScanCouver.

Craig (L) and Caran Johnson.
Craig (L) and Caran Johnson.

As the afternoon wore on, she tweeted about her growing concern for her husband, who was late arriving home. News.com.au spoke to local reporter Patty Hastings, who confirmed the story "is true".

Here's how it unfolded. The state's Department of Transportation and a local paper tweeted about a two-car collision going southbound on the I-205 freeway. Ms Johnson replied, saying the accident sounded "horrible" and she hated that section of the road.

As one fatality was confirmed, Ms Johnson tweeted that her husband, who takes the I-205 to get home, left work early and wasn't answering his phone.

"I'm trying not to panic," she said.

But 90 minutes later, after a series of frantic posts, Ms Johnson tweeted that her husband had been killed.

The Columbian's staff photographer, Zachary Kaufman, who was at the scene of the collision, said there was "lots of debris on [the] roadway".

Ms Hastings said that Ms Johnson was a friend of the newsroom and frequently reported on breaking traffic news via Twitter.

Since receiving global media attention over the incident, Ms Johnson has protected her tweets from the public.

Her husband "appeared to be the breadwinner of the family," said Ms Hastings.

This is how the tragic unfolded:

Craig R Johnson died in a two-car collision on a Vancouver freeway on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Washington State Police Patrol.
Craig R Johnson died in a two-car collision on a Vancouver freeway on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Washington State Police Patrol.

@ScanCouver: "i hate that section of I205 S. too many on ramps, speeders and too few lanes."

@ScanCouver: "this accident sounds horrible."

@ScanCouver: "omg that is so horrible!"

@ScanCouver:"nice, two vehicles went around officer blocking on ramp to I205S. lame-o's!"

@ScanCouver: "I'm trying not to panic, but my husband left work early and he drives 205 to get home. he's not answering his phone."

@ScanCouver: "and he's late"

@ScanCouver: "@KF7PSC well he uses his bluetooth, so he would answer his phone. he also wasn't feeling good so his work was concerned when he left"

@ScanCouver: "i'm a basketcase"

@ScanCouver: "I just called his work and he was feeling faint when he left work. #panic"

@ScanCouver: "how long do i wait for him to come home before I call the police?"

@ScanCouver: "@JKCline86 @troyglidden thank you. i'm freaking out now"

@ScanCouver: "what do i do now? he might have pulled over because he was feeling faint and then passed out or had a seizure. he has epilepsy"

@ScanCouver: "it's him. he died"

Local woman April Sturdevant tweeted Ms Johnson, claiming to have been with Mr Johnson during his "last breath".

Ms Sturdevant wanted to pass on "words of comfort".

Since then, several other Twitter users have set up a fundraising page on YouCaring.com, aiming to raise $10000 for Ms Johnson.

"As a widow myself, I know all too well how much she is going through right now, and while money won't bring her husband back, it can help ease the strain of a funeral, burial and associated costs, as well as replace some of his wages that are now gone in the weeks before Christmas," said Marissa, who is listed as the page's organiser.

In conversation with her followers on Twitter, Ms Johnson later said she felt as though a block of cement had fallen on her.

Ms Johnson also made a jarring comment about her husband's underwear.

The second driver in the collision was taken to hospital after the accident, which is under investigation by the State Patrol.

Ms Johnson is well-known for live-tweeting, so much so she became the subject of a story on her Twitter feed by the Associated Press in January.

"I just have some kind of fascination of listening in to the secret world of the scanner that not everyone gets to hear," said Johnson.

"It gets kind of depressing ... I try and maintain a positive attitude."

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/caran-johnson-accidentally-live-tweets-husbands-fatal-car-crash/news-story/53cdb477419518b47df69c1aa69cf37f