‘A blessing’: Good Samaritan recovering after she was shot trying to help driver in North Carolina crash

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — There’s a long road to recovery ahead for a good Samaritan who was shot while attempting to help a driver in a car accident. Season Horne, 40, remains in a hospital in Chapel Hill.

“She’s doing some thumbs up. She can’t talk to us. But she’s with us. That’s a blessing,” Allie Gipson, Horne’s friend said.

Deputies in Cumberland County said Visha Franklin shot Horne in her face. The shooting happened along Matt Hair Road on March 19.

“We are angry at the situation and what happened. There was no reason for that. But we been primarily concerned about her condition and how she’s doing,” Gipson said.

Investigators said Horne was driving and slowed down to offer assistance to Franklin after she crashed her vehicle. That’s when witnesses said Horne was shot, and the suspect started stripping naked.

“Knowing her, she probably seen this accident freaked out, stopped and tried to do what she could, and this happened,” Gipson said.

Gipson said Horne is a stay-at-home mom to her 12-year-old son and previously worked at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

“Her husband is stressed out. I mean, he’s from worried and emotional to angry, to just stressed, to also trying to provide for their family while she’s in the hospital,” Gipson said.

To help support the Horne family through the long recovery process, Gipson also set up this GoFundMe fundraising page.

“We are all kind of wrapped up right now with making sure Season is okay. But what this woman done is not going to be forgotten, unnoticed or just let go,” Gipson said.

The suspect remains in Cumberland County Detention Center without bond.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP.