‘A wild, free spirit’: 28-year-old mother of two hit and killed by driver in north Spokane

Dara Ray Johnson was riding Lime scooters and singing karaoke hours before the 28-year-old mother of two boys was hit and killed last week by a driver in north Spokane.

She was doing things she loved to do – being a rebel and wandering around during a nice summer night, said Dylan Jubinville, one of Johnson’s loved ones.

“She was living her life like Dara would,” Jubinville said. “She was free, she was happy, she went out on her terms. It may not have been the way she wanted, but the night was exactly how she would have wanted.”

Family members of Johnson described her as a “free spirit” who would do anything for her boys, 9-year-old Roman and 3-year-old Kaysen.

“Everything she did was about those boys,” said Dee Byrd, Johnson’s mother.

Investigators believe Johnson was crossing Nevada Street at Lyons Avenue at 12:30 a.m. Saturday when a driver traveling south on Nevada struck her, according to Spokane Police Officer Daniel Strassenberg, spokesman for the department.

Johnson was taken to a local hospital and died, Strassenberg said.

Strassenberg said the driver had a green light and Johnson did not have the signal to cross. The driver cooperated with officers and showed no signs of impairment.

The speed limit is 30 mph on that section of Nevada, and investigators don’t know how fast the car was going. The driver was not arrested, and detectives continue to investigate, according to Strassenberg.

Jubinville was hanging out with Johnson that night and witnessed the crash.

The 34-year-old said he and Johnson had an on-and-off relationship since 2019, and the couple had Kaysen together. He and Johnson were riding Lime scooters and sang karaoke that night before tragedy struck.

Jubinville said they went to Maverik, on Freya Street and Francis Avenue where Johnson worked, to visit one of her coworkers before walking to their apartment complex not far from the intersection where she was hit.

He said he hit the crosswalk button to cross Nevada Street when Johnson decided to run into the street to cross. He said he didn’t see the car coming and she must not have either.

“I just didn’t see the car until it was too late,” Jubinville said. “I was yelling for her to stop and she just didn’t stop.”

He stayed with Johnson, who was fighting for breaths.

“After the accident, she just stared at me for a few minutes until the ambulance arrived,” Jubinville said.

Jubinville, Byrd and Christine Bixby, Johnson’s grandmother, described Johnson as a great mom.

“She loved those boys so much, and she was a good mom,” Bixby said.

Bixby said her granddaughter was well-liked, evidenced in part by her Maverik coworkers sending their condolences and saying how great she was to work alongside.

She said Johnson “did her own thing.”

“She didn’t let the world tell her how to do things,” Bixby said.

Byrd said Johnson was the youngest of her four children. Johnson was born in West Virginia and the family moved to Spokane, where Byrd is from, when Johnson was 15.

Byrd said she was camping with friends Saturday morning when her husband called her and told her the news. She said she fell down the stairs and screamed, “Not my baby.”

Byrd described her daughter as a happy person who loved the world and treated life as a big adventure.

“She was a wild, free spirit,” she said.

Jubinville also described Johnson as adventurous and spontaneous.

“She was just a beautiful person, great mom,” he said. “Would always light up the room, always wanted to do things for these kids.”

He said they always adventured outside, whether it was at the river, lake, disc golfing or hiking.

“She never wanted to sit at home,” Jubinville said.

He said they went through a “rough patch” the last couple months, but Friday night talked about getting back together.

They were planning a trip to the Oregon Coast, which he now will take with their sons.

Jubinville said Johnson had a blast Friday night, including riding scooters for her first time.

“She had been begging me for so long to ride on them,” he said.

He said the last few days have been difficult and a “roller coaster of emotions.”

“It doesn’t feel real, but it is real,” he said. “Just trying my best. I got a big support group.”