(CNN) -- Trooper William Finn, a spokesman with the Washington State Patrol, was tweeting Wednesday under the handle @wspd5pio about an accident on Vancouver's Interstate 205. A car was traveling northbound when it crossed the grass median into the southbound lane, striking a pickup truck, head on. At 2:11 p.m. PT, Finn tweeted, "Vancouver - SB 205 @ Padden - Fatality collision. WB Padden to SB 205 is closed. Right lane SB 205 also closed in area. Use alt route!" About 10 minutes earlier, Caran Johnson, a local scanner aficionado and a follower of Finn's on Twitter, had learned about the accident. She turned to the micro-blogging site to post new details and to reach out to her community.
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Caran Johnson, a local scanner aficionado, posts about a fatal car crash on Interstate 205
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She grows worried her husband may have been involved, writes to spokesman on scene
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"It's him. he died," she posts on Twitter
At 2:20 p.m. PT, Johnson sent a tweet to @placeholder, "@wspd5pio do you have descriptions of involved vehicles?"