A 24-year-old expectant mother from South Carolina and her unborn baby died after a tragic go-karting accident in which her hair became caught in the vehicle’s sprocket.
Baylee Johnson was 16 weeks pregnant with her first child, a baby boy she had already named Johnny, when she died Monday — eight days after the accident at a go-kart track in Sumter, South Carolina.
Johnson was driving the go-kart when her hair became entangled, causing her neck to hyperextend and preventing her from breathing, Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker told The State.
The medical assistant later died from her injuries, and her unborn son also died, according to an obituary shared by the family.
For many relatives and friends, the devastating loss was also the first time they learned Johnson was pregnant.
“This isn’t how Baylee and I ever imagined sharing this news, but God has blessed us with a baby boy. Baylee is carrying our sweet Johnny, due February 21,” her partner, Justin Lowder, wrote on Facebook last Thursday, four days before their deaths.
Lowder said he made the pregnancy announcement sooner than planned because Johnson and their unborn child were in such critical condition.
“Please pray for Baylee and our precious baby boy,” he pleaded. “We love them both more than words could ever say.”
Johnson had a “caring heart” and was thrilled about becoming a mom, her family said.
“She dreamed about him [Johnny], talked about him, prayed for him and was already planning the life she wanted to give him,” they said.
“From the moment she learned he was there, Baylee was his mama, and Johnny was completely and unconditionally loved.
The relatives revealed they’re taking “comfort” in the fact the pair “never had to say goodbye to one another.”
She was also an aunt, which her family described as one of “the greatest joys in her life.”
“To her nieces and nephew, she was their beloved ‘Bay Bay,’” they said.
“She treasured coloring, laughing, being silly and simply spending time with them. Those ordinary moments are now among the most precious memories they will carry.”
Her funeral will be held on Saturday.
