Community raises thousands for man killed in tragic car wreck
In less than a week, more than $40,000 was raised on a GoFundMe for Koehn.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – 26-year-old Ryan Koehn was tragically killed in a car wreck after a vehicle plowed into his pickup truck.
22-year-old Tristan Atkinson led the Mississippi Highway Patrol on a high-speed chase through downtown Columbus when Atkinson hit Koehn’s vehicle at the Main and 5th Street intersection.
Koehn was airlifted to Regional One Hospital in Memphis for his injuries where he later died.
While Koehn was battling for his life, the community rallied together to raise thousands of dollars for him.
WCBI talked with Koehn’s mother-in-law about the support they have received from the community.
Kohen’s night began with a workout at the gym with his wife and friends and then a quick bite to eat at Zachary’s.
Unfortunately, just after he left the restaurant his truck was plowed by another vehicle.
His wife, in the car behind him, watched everything unfold right before her eyes.
“The light turned green for him to turn and he sat there for a while to make sure everything was clear and as he pulled out. Rianne was right behind him in her car because they went in two separate vehicles. She saw it and in her mind she kept saying Ryan hurry, Ryan hurry. Just punch on it a little more and it caught him,” said Unruh.
Koehn was airlifted to Regional One Hospital in Memphis where he fought for his life and later died.
While Koehn was fighting, the community was rallying.
In less than a week, more than $40,000 was raised on a GoFundMe for Kohen.
His mother-in-law, Regina Unruh, said the support continues to pour in at their family’s ice cream shop, Southern Sweets Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor.
“It’s just overwhelming and we are just so thankful for them because we could just not do this without praying. It’s so devastating. If I could hug everyone that has donated. If I could hug everyone that offered prayers. I would just hug each one of you. It means a lot. it does,” said Unruh.
While they continue to hold the memories of who he was, they have many questions about how something like this even happened.
“Why was there a high-speed chase down the main street of Columbus and it started from the state line? Why did they go through all the way why couldn’t they have just left him alone until he got on 82? Right now, it just seems so unfair that they would take this high-speed chase through Columbus through the main town it couldn’t just have been my son-in-law. It could have been others involved,” said Unruh.
Unruh said while the days ahead are going to be hard, her family’s faith is what will keep them going.
“You wake up in the morning and you have this big mountain in front of you of just devastation and I told her it’s just one day at a time,” said Unruh.
The family is still waiting on an autopsy from Pearl.
Funeral services are still undecided at this time.
