According to reports, a dispute between two people that began on Facebook escalated into a deadly car crash. It all began when an online fight broke out between an unidentified woman and Danielle Booth. On Tuesday, July 20, Ms. Booth filed a complaint with the police stating she felt threatened by the unidentified woman. On July 21, this unidentified woman saw Ms. Booth riding as a passenger in a car in downtown Pontiac, Michigan, and she began ramming the car.
The vehicle Ms. Booth was riding in was being driven by Alesha Abernathy. After repeated ramming, Ms. Abernathy’s car lost control and ran into a dump truck, causing the dump truck to turn on it’s side. The incident was witnessed by a police detective who chased down the unidentified driver and placed her under arrest.
Due to the serious nature of the crash, Ms. Abernathy was pronounced dead upon arrival at a local hospital. Ms. Abernathy, according to reports, was simply the driver of the vehicle Ms. Booth was riding in when this tragedy occurred. It is truly unfortunate she was an innocent victim of two other people’s dispute.
Ms. Booth was critically injured and her current status is not known. The unidentified woman was driving her car with her 3 year old child in the back seat, neither was injured in this incident.
At this point, not all of the facts are known. It is not clear exactly what the unidentified driver said to Ms. Booth to cause her to file a complaint with the police. This incident should serve as a reminder that what happens online can have real world consequences. It sounds like Ms. Booth did the right thing by reporting her concerns to the police, and based upon the actions of the unidentified driver, her concerns appear to be validated.
I believe the actions of the unidentified driver were reckless and out of proportion to events leading up to the crash. I’m not sure there are any facts that would justify repeatedly ramming another vehicle based upon words that were written on a computer and a police report. If this unidentified woman believed she had been wronged, she had a chance to explain her actions in court. It was not up to her to take revenge on Ms. Booth and kill an innocent third party. This is not an appropriate way to settle disputes.
My thoughts go out to the families of Ms. Abernathy and Ms. Booth.