A joyful selfie of two women captured a moment of happiness just before a tragic event while they were driving.
Collette Moreno and her best friend, Ashley Theobald, took the photo on their way to Collette’s bachelorette party, a picture that later appeared in news reports nationwide.
They were heading towards the Lake of the Ozarks via Missouri Highway 5 on June 20, 2014. The selfie, showing Collette in the passenger seat and Ashley at the wheel wearing heart-shaped sunglasses, was a snapshot of their excitement.
The women were in high spirits, anticipating the upcoming wedding, which was just five weeks away. Little did they know that within eight minutes, everything would change.
As they drove along, listening to Taylor Swift, they found themselves struggling with fumes from a truck ahead, which was aggravating Collette’s asthma and making it hard to breathe.
The double yellow lines on the road prevented them from overtaking the truck.
Collette started to tear up, and Ashley peered around the truck, seeing what she thought was a clear road. She decided to pass the truck, moving into the oncoming traffic lane – but then, another car appeared.
According to My Fox 8, Ashley recalled: “We both thought it was clear and there was a hill that neither one of us saw. I tried to go around and there was a truck coming and I swerved and he swerved with me.”
Both vehicles tried to avoid each other but ended up colliding and coming to a stop at the side of the road.
Ashley initially believed Collette wasn’t badly injured, remembering how her friend was ‘nodding’ at her after the crash.
“I didn’t know it was as bad as it was because she wasn’t physically super beaten-up,” Ashley stated.
Emergency services were called, and Collette was taken to the hospital. Tragically, she passed away a few hours later from her injuries, leaving behind her fiancé and her five-year-old son.
Collette’s fiancé, Jesse Arcobasso, told Fox that the little boy didn’t ‘quite understand’ why his mom wasn’t coming home, adding: “I know it’s going to take time.”
Collette’s mother described her daughter’s death as feeling like a ‘messed-up dream’.
“I just couldn’t believe it. I still can’t,” she said at the time.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.