What happened to a previous comment someone posted about her walking??
Has there been car accidents similar to how her car was found? Like could messed up breaks cause something like that to happen? I am in no way shape or form a car expert, I won’t even drive, so this is an honest question. If it was something to do with a car accident I’m sure she was in shock (hence why I refuse to drive, car accidents are scary) and probably had some injuries or head trauma, maybe concussion and couldn’t call or text cuz no phone (might’ve burned in car or didn’t have it on her at that point of LE didn’t find it with her, so tried to make it to nearest safe place she thought someone would be. MOO. An accident can make sense too. But answers would be nice so least her family can make sense of what happened.
Excellent observation, PezCandy. It is entirely plausible that SW had a single-car accident, no foul play involved. Her Toyota traveled 1500 feet deep into the cornfield (I'm guessing Hwy 378 was probably not even visible from that position - cornstalks grow 6 to 12 feet high.
EXHIBIT A below is particularly pertinent to a single-car accident theory.
We do not know:
1) where she died
2) when she died
3) how she died
4) her injuries
5) her mental / physical condition before she died.
One thing we do know is that her body was found 10 miles from her crashed, burned out car. I did a little googling into 'cornfields + car accidents' and surprisingly, they are not at all uncommon.
Is it possible SW, for whatever reason(s), did have a car accident, ended up deep inside a cornfield, was injured and walked / crawled away before the car caught fire? Absolutely. [Although that does not explain the missing license plate ...]
Is it possible for an injured person to walk 10 miles? Depending on the injury / severity, absolutely.
A leisurely walking pace for most humans is, I believe, about 3 mph. I'm guessing a 10 mile walk across generally flat, unobstructed ground conditions under ideal weather might take a healthy, uninjured person maybe 4-6 hours (including breaks). However, if SW was injured in the accident, it would have taken her much longer. She may have had a head injury, internal injuries that did not immediately manifest themselves - youth, at a minimum, was on her side. (IIRC, The 911 caller who found her did not notice any immediately obvious, traumatic injuries / wounds.) A head injury* may have caused her severe confusion, disorientation and perhaps even fatal decision making. Heck, she may not have even remembered the accident or anything leading up to it.
With no direction or bearings to guide her, she would have had to cross broad swaths of open fields, woods, with who knows what obstacles / perils in her path, including nighttime dangers if she took very frequent rest breaks because of pain / exhaustion. In a word - she very likely would have been LOST.
Lack of food, water plus daytime heat** + SC humidity would have increased the chances of her death. If her purse / phone were lost in the car accident / fire, she would have had no way to call for help. Perhaps she gravitated towards the FD tower because it was (eventually) more visible than anything else. Certainly possible that, by the time she arrived at the tower, she just gave out because of the severity of her injuries + lack of water / food.
Could it have taken up to ~42 hours to get from her car (Sept 19 2pm) to the FD tower (Sept 21 8:35am)? Under the above scenario, absolutely. JMO
EXHIBIT A
Illinois man crawls through cornfield all night to flee massive car wreck
... The victim said he had driven past a dead end and went airborne. He eventually struck a tree before coming to a stop deep inside the cornfield. "All he said was he had been out there all night and that he couldn't stand and that he had crawled through the cornfield up into our driveway," ...
Exhibit B
Sanborn man hurt in crash into cornfield
[elderly driver injured]
... The vehicle then proceeded south through the cornfield, then turned west and continued for about one-half mile [2680 feet] through the corn. ...
Exhibit C
Sheriff: Mayo 1 spots vehicle in cornfield, deceased person later found inside
[27 year old driver died]
... Authorities said the vehicle traveled around 200 yards north on a field entrance, 50 yards east, and three-quarters of a mile [3960 feet] through a bean field into a cornfield. ...
*
Head injury - Wikipedia
** Daytime temps in Scranton / Pamplico area between Sept 19-21 were mid to high 80's.
Scranton, SC Monthly Weather Forecast - weather.com
Pamplico, SC Monthly Weather Forecast - weather.com
