The photo captured the girls just seconds before tragedy struck.
Taking selfies with friends is something most teens do without a second thought. But for these three young girls, one photo would tragically become the last image taken before their lives were cut short.
In 2011, a small Utah community was left devastated when three teenagers — Essa Ricker, Kelsea Webster, and Savannah Webster — were killed in an accident no one saw coming.
According to Utah County sheriff Sgt. Spencer Cannon, the girls had been standing near the Covered Bridge Canyon railway crossing, laughing and waving to engineers as a Utah Railway train passed by.
What they didn’t realize was that a second train, a Union Pacific freight, was coming from the opposite direction on a nearby track — just a few feet away.
Sgt. Cannon explained that the two trains were traveling side by side with only three to four feet between them. The approaching train struck the girls before they had time to react. Essa and Kelsea were killed instantly on impact.
Savannah was airlifted to a nearby hospital and underwent emergency surgery, but her injuries were too severe. Despite doctors’ efforts, she never regained consciousness.
Her mother, Jayna Webster, shared a heartbreaking update on her blog: “We spoke to the doctors today and they informed us that Savvy’s brain injuries were too great.”
She continued, “Even though they’ve done everything possible, Savannah will not be able to recover any further. We will keep her on life support till the end of the day, but it’s time to say goodbye, for now, to an angel that walked among us.”
Just minutes before the accident, Savannah had posted on Facebook: “Standing right by a train ahaha this is awesome!!!!”
The girls, who shared a fascination with trains, had taken a selfie close to the tracks — unaware that another fast-moving train was approaching from behind. The photo they snapped moments before impact shows the faint yellow glow of the oncoming train’s headlights in the background. Tragically, they didn’t hear the warning horn in time.
John Anderson, a conductor on duty that day, later recalled what he witnessed: “They were in their own little world.”
Engineer Michael Anderson tried desperately to alert them. He blew the horn several times, but the teens didn’t move. “We watched in horror as we got closer,” John said. “We saw them for about 12 seconds until they disappeared from our sight and the train continued moving forward.”
When the train finally came to a stop, John ran toward the scene. He found two of the girls with no pulse, while Savannah was still breathing, though barely.
“I told her everything would be OK and she relaxed a little,” he recalled softly. “I hoped she would make it and for some reason I really thought she would.”
The heartbreaking selfie that the girls took — filled with joy and excitement — would later become a haunting reminder of how quickly life can change in just a matter of seconds.
