Published 20:57 IST, September 9th 2019
Myrtle Beach Jeep owners raise funds for hurricane Dorian relief
People who owned the red jeep that was found at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina on September 5 have used their popularity to start public funding to help people
- World News
- 3 min read
US citizens who owned the red jeep that was found abandoned at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina on September 5 that went viral on social media have used their popularity to start public funding on an online platform GoFundMe to generate money for those in need of any kind of help as Hurricane Dorian creates havoc in parts of America.
Dee Horrell, owner of the now famous jeep, had said that she'd lent the jeep to a family member so that he wouldn't have to ride his motorbike in bad weather. Her family member had wanted to go take a picture of the sunrise before the storm hit.
The curious case of the Myrtle beach jeep
Dee Horrell has said that she was the owner of the red-colored jeep and was also behind the GoFundMe fundraising campaign. and she said that they have given the car to a family member for a limited amount of time.
The description written on the donation page stated that the driver hit the drainage wall by mistake and because of that he got stuck. As soon as this happened, the person behind the wheel left to get help but every shop had its shutters down due to the storm knocking on their doors. By the time he came back to the beach and to the car, it was way too late as it was high tide by that time. Personal items were also in the car when he went to away to get help.
The police in South Carolina were successful in removing the abandoned red jeep on the morning of September 6 and have since then tried to get in touch with the person who left the car on the Myrtle beach.
As hurricane Dorian hit South Carolina's coast, the abandoned car was hit by waves because of which it seemed as if the car was being pulled into the ocean. The police stated while the car was on the beach, it was not occupied and had suffered a lot of damage because of the driver trying to drive the car away after he hit the drainage wall.
The curious case of the Myrtle beach jeep
People passing by were confused to see the marooned car in the first place, thinking as to how did the car get on the beach in the first place. This kicked a storm of viral memes that rapidly gained momentum. The red jeep also got a twitter account in its name that had a user name: Myrtle Beach jeep.
One person by the name of Timothy Kipp, played a song for the jeep on a bagpiper as it slowly got consumed by the incoming tide.
The owners of the jeep specifically stated that they did all of this to donate the money for disaster relief that would go to UNICEF and that this was no stunt to gain popularity. They hoped that their accidental mistake would turn into an act of kindness for those in need.
Updated 22:56 IST, September 9th 2019