A social media influencer and his canine have been simply two days away from finishing a lifelong dream drive to Alaska from Brazil after they died in a automotive collision.
Jesse Koz, a 29-year-old Brazilian nationwide, and his golden retriever Shurastey died immediately on Monday after his 1978 Volkswagen Beetle entered right into a head-on crash with a Ford Escape close to Selma, Oregon.
The driving force of the Ford Escape, recognized as 62-year-old Eileen Huss, was taken to hospital with accidents, whereas a toddler behind the car was unhurt.
Koz had travelled 52,000 miles and throughout 17 international locations in his automotive together with his pet since he first started the journey in 2017. The journey, that was set to finish in Alaska, was slowed down in 2020 as a result of Covid pandemic and cross-border restrictions that had prevented him from driving throughout the US-Mexico border.
He was pressured to return to Brazil, however the influencer resumed his journey in January this 12 months and crossed into the US in February.
“We left Mexico in September 2020 with the thought of staying solely 4 months in Brazil with the hope that the Mexico-US border would open once more,” he was quoted as saying by the Each day Mail.
“However the months glided by, and no information that this is able to occur, month after month after month (of) expectation was lowering and the dream of finishing the drive with the Beetle was (slipping away).”
The Brazilian influencer usually shared photos of his expedition together with his 431,000 Instagram followers.
An official Instagram web page created for journalling their street journey collected 1.2 million followers. The web page, referred to as “Shurastey or Shuraigow?”, is a play on the identify of his canine and the track “Ought to I Keep or Ought to I Go” by The Conflict.
“A carousel of images to hold on the wall of my nation residence for once I’m 80 years previous to recollect each second by your aspect, my pal!” he stated in an Instagram put up within the Portuguese language, that includes a photograph of him and his canine pal on the Lincoln Memorial earlier in April.
The traveller made his final put up simply 4 days earlier than his loss of life.
Within the put up, now appreciated over 277,000 occasions, Koz was seen standing in entrance of San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge together with his beloved canine.
“Hercílio Luz Bridge is wanting totally different,” he had captioned the picture, in a quip evaluating the San Francisco bridge and the Hercílio Luz Bridge in Brazil’s Florianópolis metropolis.
Koz’s social media pages have been flooded with tributes from followers.
“The final image… The final put up, the final journey! One of the best journey is occurring now,” wrote one consumer. “Hope Jesus Christ welcomes you with open arms on this final journey.”
“He died as a hero residing his greatest dream,” commented one other consumer. “The travellers world misplaced an excellent inspiration. Sending a number of like to the entire household.”
