A young South Carolina mom-to-be and her unborn child were killed in a freak accident when her hair got trapped in the sprocket of a go-kart.
Baylee Johnson, 24, was 16 weeks pregnant with her first child, whom she’d already named Johnny, when she died Monday, eight days after the freak accident that happened at a go-karting track in Sumter, South Carolina.
She was driving the racer when her hair got trapped and her neck hyperextended, stopping her from breathing, the Sumter County Coroner, Robbie Baker, told the State.
The medical assistant later died, as did her baby, their family said in an obit.
Heartbreakingly, the double tragedy was how many loved ones found out the mom-to-be 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 brought forward the announcement because the condition of his girlfriend and their unborn child was so grave.
“Please pray for Baylee and our precious baby boy,” he begged. “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.
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