Mother Remembers Daughter Killed by Drunk Driver on Mother’s Day

Snowden Bothwell Died in A Crash Near Virginia One Year Ago

Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the people in our lives, but for a mother in Virginia this day means something else.

The day her life changed forever because of one man’s drunken decision to get behind the wheel of his truck.

May 13, 2017 seven-year-old Snowden Bothwell was killed when the car she was in was hit by a truck that failed to stop at a stop sign on Hwy. 169 15 miles east of Hibbing.

One year later, her mother Christa Johnson held a picnic in her honor.

“We have mac and cheese with hotdogs mixed in, and chicken nuggets,” said Johnson. “She’d be so happy right now, running around. I hope kids show up. It’s tough to be around them, but nice to see playing. I miss that part of her.

On every Mother’s Day for the rest of her life Johnson will think of the phone call that changed everything.

“I got a phone call Snowden was in an accident. I didn’t know how bad it was,” said Johnson. “The other driver, he was doing 90 mph on Hwy. 25. He didn’t stop, went through the intersection and crashed into her door killing her instantly. I held her hand in the ER when they worked on her, they worked on her for an hour. They were not able to revive her.”

The man driving the truck that hit her also died in the crash. Even though Snowden was young, she crusaded against drunk driving while she was alive.

“She would say “It’s dumb Mom, I don’t understand why someone would do that,” said Johnson.

Johnson wants to warn others about the dangers of drunk driving, pleading everyone to think before they get behind the wheel.

“None of this should have happened,” said Johnson.