He was a passenger in his own car, which was being driven by someone who had too much to drink. The car was going too fast and the driver overcorrected, and it flipped three times, traveling more than 150 feet before coming to a rest. John wasn't wearing his seat belt and was flung out of the car.

Galileo allegedly proved that two balls of different weight would drop at the same rate. That's what happened with John. Physics does not choose sides; and John ended up tumbling along with his car, ending with his legs pinned under his own vehicle.

He was still alive when paramedics arrived minutes later. He died as they tried to save his life. The driver of the car lived.

The tragedy of all this is that John could have saved his own life, and he leaves behind a bunch of angry people. Angry because he didn't buckle up; angry because he let a drunk behind the wheel; angry because it is all so pointless.

"I don't know how he ended up riding in his own car with this guy," says John's sister, Gail Holmes. "I've talked to other friends of his, and it came down to John wanting to help this guy out."

The Torrance County Sheriff's Department is still investigating the crash, and charges may be filed against the driver who was drinking, Holmes said she was told by investigators. The irony is that John was sober; he didn't drink.

Some regular readers of the Telegraph may recognize John's name. On occasion, he would write humorous columns for us. The thing about writing a column is that you share a piece of yourself with the readers. Writing a column is easy. Writing a good one is a struggle. John had a good ear for it even though his vocation was in the movie business as a sound guy.

I met him last year when he sent me a piece about the Torrance County Fair. I ran it in the paper, and soon we were sitting across a table from each other at Ribs in Cedar Crest, talking about this and that, laughing and having a good time. In this business, it's difficult to make friends — new acquaintances have a tendency to identify journalists by their profession, which, to an extent, is not unfounded. There is always the possibility that we might have to turn on our friends if they get up to no good. We all tend to have trust issues that come with the vocation. I can't say I was a good friend of John's, but I can say he had a warmth of spirit I appreciate in people. He was a good guy.

That's why it was a shock to me when I was sent his obituary.

Let me tell you a little bit about John.

As he wrote in one of his columns, he spent much of 2009 looking for work, and when we had lunch, I bought, telling him that when he got a regular job, he could return the favor. A couple weeks later, he did get a job, and it seemed to me like a burden had been lifted.

John's sister, Gail, says that during his unemployment, he sunk into the depths of what could best be described as depression. But he kept on going and never gave up, she said. By Christmas last year, she said, she had gotten back the brother she knew.

"It was the happiest I'd seen him is such a long time," Gail said. "We had such a great time then."

Gail explained that John was the kind of person who would help out just about anyone, and the guy who was driving the car when it crashed was one of those people who needed help.

Sometimes, though, we learn the hard way that we can't help everyone. Does that mean we should stop helping?

The evidence tells me yes. Sometimes you have to give up on a lost cause. But to the contrary, I have a feeling John might have done some things differently with his friend who needed help, but I don't think he would have given up on him.

And that quells the anger. A little.

Contact McClannahan at 823-7102 or online at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .