Police said a woman died in a head-on collision on a US highway right after updating her Facebook status and posting selfies.
The 32-year-old, Courtney Sanford, posted on her Facebook page at 8:33 on Thursday morning, saying, “The happy song makes me so HAPPY.” Police were called about the crash at 8:34 that same morning.
According to the officers, Ms. Sanford was driving alone when her car crossed the center line, crashed into a recycling truck, and caught fire. The collision caused the truck to be pushed off the road.
She was driving on Interstate 85 in North Carolina on her way to work. The police said there was no evidence that her speed, drug use, or alcohol was a factor in the crash.
The Facebook link wasn’t revealed until this past weekend, when her friends told the police that several of her online posts seemed to have been made around the same time as the accident.
Lt. Chris Weisner from the High Point Police Department said the crash was a real-life example of what happens when you text and drive, as reported by WGHP TV.
Lt. Weisner explained that Ms. Sanford had been taking selfies on the highway and updating her social media just before the crash.
He said, “In just a few seconds, a life was lost so she could tell her friends she was happy. It’s really not worth it.”
He added that, while it’s sad, it’s a serious reminder for everyone to stay focused while driving.
John Wallace Thompson, 73, was driving the truck involved in the crash and was not injured.
TV Star with Māori Face Tattoo Shuts Down Haters in Epic Response!
A TV presenter with a traditional Māori face tattoo has calmly replied to negative comments from a viewer, proudly standing up for her cultural heritage and identity.
Facial tattoos often spark debates online. Some people think tattoos should only be on the body, while others understand and appreciate their cultural importance.
Oriini Kaipara, 41, made history when she became a newsreader for New Zealand’s Newshub. She is the first primetime TV news presenter to wear a moko kauae, a special facial tattoo for Māori women.
The Māori are the indigenous people of mainland New Zealand. They see moko kauae as important symbols of their heritage and identity. These tattoos, traditionally on the lips and chin, show a woman’s family ties, leadership, and honor her lineage, status, and abilities.
Oriini Kaipara. Credit: Oriini Kaipara / Instagram.
Despite receiving praise, one viewer named David expressed his dislike for Kaipara’s moko kauae in an email to Newshub.
He wrote, “We continue to object strongly to you using a Māori newsreader with a moku [moko] which is offensive and aggressive looking. A bad look. She also bursts into the Māori language which we do not understand. Stop it now,” according to the Daily Mail.
But Kaipara didn’t let David’s negative words stop her. She bravely shared screenshots of his messages on her Instagram story and responded calmly.
“Today I had enough. I responded. I never do that. I broke my own code and hit the send button,” she wrote on her Instagram story alongside a screenshot of David’s message.
Kaipara didn’t just share screenshots of David’s email, she also responded to him. She explained that his complaint wasn’t valid because she hadn’t broken any rules for TV.
She also corrected David’s spelling mistake. He called her tattoo a “moku” instead of “moko”.
In her email back to him, Kaipara said, “I think you don’t like how I look on TV. But tattoos and people with them aren’t scary or bad. We don’t deserve to be treated badly because of them.”
She asked him to stop complaining and to try to understand better. She even joked that maybe he should go back to the 1800s if he couldn’t accept people with tattoos.
Despite David’s negative words, Kaipara says she mostly gets nice comments, and mean ones are rare.
In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, Kaipara talked about how it’s important to have more Māori people in important jobs. She said, “The fact that my existence makes some people upset shows why we need more Māori people in every job.”
Kaipara’s calm response reminds us how important it is to be proud of who you are, even when people are mean. She’s inspiring others to be proud of themselves and stand up to unfair treatment.
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