Maine TikTok Star Rochelle Hager Killed in Freak Accident in Farmington
When we think celebrities, we think TV and movie stars like a Brad Pitt or a George Clooney or a Sandra Bullock or a Jennifer Lawrence, but the fact is, times have changed and with social media as massive as it is, it's entirely possible that a regular ole Joe or Jill like you or me can instantly become a celebrity.
That's what happened with 31-year-old Rochelle Hager, a Maine chef who was really gaining some traction and becoming a rising TikTok star. She was one of us -- just a regular Mainer who happened to have the "IT-factor" that can vault someone to the level of social media star.
And unfortunately, in the blink of an eye, it was all over.
What happened to Rochelle Hager?
It's been pretty windy in Maine for what feels like forever, but remember how Monday was especially windy? According to The Sun, Rochelle was driving in Farmington like it was any other Monday, dealing with the normality of a windy day that we have all the time in Northern New England, when the unthinkable and absolute freak accident happened -- the high winds caused a huge limb from a pine tree to break off from the tree itself and go flying through Rochelle's windshield, instantly and tragically killing her.
Was Rochelle Hager on the phone?
And as if that's not insanely tragic on its own, it gets worse -- her girlfriend, Brittanie, was on the phone with her while it all happened. Brittanie told The Sun that she heard the crash (of the tree smashing through Rochelle's windshield), then heard nothing but silence after.
I can't imagine -- I can't imagine being on the other end of that phone, with someone you love deeply, hearing a huge crash like that and then just...nothing. It unfortunately just goes to show that you legitimately never know, and our time on this planet is never guaranteed -- so love hard, love deep, and ALWAYS let the people you love know that you do love them.
Thoughts, prayers, hugs, and positive vibes going out to Rochelle's friends and family. And if you want to see how much joy she brought with her videos on TikTok and why she was becoming a legitimate TikTok celebrity, check out her page of videos here.