Selfie taken before 3 friends died showed harrowing detail they missed
It’s common for friends to become so engrossed in taking photos that they lose sight of their surroundings. Unfortunately, this mundane behavior led to a heartbreaking tragedy for three girls from Utah.
The tragic incident occurred in 2011, significantly impacting the local community, when friends Essa Ricker, Kelsea Webster, and Kelsea’s younger sister Savannah traveled beyond the Covered Bridge Canyon crossing near Spanish Fork.
Utah County sheriff Sgt. Spencer Cannon later recounted how the girls had stopped to greet engineers from a Utah Railway train, oblivious to a Union Pacific train approaching from the opposite direction.
The two trains were merely three to four feet apart when they collided with the girls. Essa and Kelsea were believed to have died on impact, while Savannah was rushed to the hospital for urgent medical care.
Regrettably, she suffered severe brain injuries. After her devastated parents were informed that recovery was impossible, they decided to remove her from life support.
Savannah’s mother, Jayna Webster, shared at that time, ‘We spoke to the doctors today, and they informed us that Savvy’s brain injuries were too great.’ She added, ‘Despite all efforts, Savannah will not be able to recover any further. We will keep her on life support until the end of the day, but it’s time to bid farewell to an angel who walked among us.’
In her post, she exclaimed, ‘Standing right by a train ahaha this is awesome!!!!’
Disturbingly, the photograph captures a train drawing closer, its bright yellow lights vividly shining. Tragically, the girls didn’t seem to hear the train’s horn blaring.
John Anderson, the train conductor at that time, remarked, ‘They were in their own little world.’
‘We watched in horror as we got closer,’ John continued. ‘We saw them for about 12 seconds until they vanished from our view, and the train kept going.’
Savannah was still alive but critically injured.
‘I told her everything would be OK, and she seemed to relax a bit,’ the conductor recalled.
‘I hoped she would survive, and for some reason, I really thought she would.’
READ MORE
Son’s graduation ends in tragedy – family of 4 murder-suicide | Missing 8-year-old found drowned after running away from school