This Girl Flushed 5 Times But Swears It Was Just the Motion Detector
November 2, 2017 at 11:42 pm
Emily Johnston (C '19) recalls standing by the sink in a Huntsman bathroom when she heard the first flush. “I had just finished washing my hands when I heard the toilet do its thing. Thinking nothing of it, I went to get a paper towel,” Johnston said in an exclusive interview outside Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. “As I was about to get a paper towel, I heard it again. I don't often raise an eyebrow to the sound of two flushes, but I stood still for a second, waiting for the familiar sound of the opening stall door. I wanted to know who my bathroom companion was.” That was the moment she remembers everything changing.
Over the next five minutes, the toilet flushed another three times, which totaled out the situation with a full five flushes.
According to Johnston, the girl who stepped up to the sink after the occurrence smiled and made full eye contact. “She turned to me and was like, ‘These motion detectors are so annoying—always randomly going off,'" said Johnston. “She had no shame. Even in the same bathroom where Warren Buffet pooped"
In our interview, Johnston admitted to UTB she is still not convinced the flushes were an accident, and claims this suspicion is corroborated by data.
In a 2015 study, UTB found that in 85% of cases of accidental toilet flushes, the person was standing up to wipe. An additional 10% of accidental flushes were associated with grabbing a tampon. Five-percent of accidental flushes were found to be unexpected outliers. The statistical probability of four random flushes in one restroom outing is low.
Johnston told UTB that her aim in coming forward is simply to hold people accountable. “I don’t judge those with stomach troubles,” she said. “I just want them to own up to it. I want to live in a community where people feel comfortable discussing these gross issues.”
The flusher, who has asked to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns, has remained firm on her defense that four of her five flushes were accidental. In an interview on Locust, she said, “Stop asking me questions about this and find something better to do with your life.”
UTB is still fully committed to this story and will update this article with new information as it comes in.