I was watching Oprah recently with my mother and this episode really hit home. It was about people who had been hurt or killed because of people who were either talking on their phone or texting. Along with the people who had to deal with the fact that it was their fault that someone got hurt because they were using their phone while driving. There was one story that broke my heart!
In November 2008, Shelly and her husband, Daren, were the happily married parents of three beautiful girls, 13-year-old Jessica, 9-year-old Erica and 4-year-old Valerie. "Erica is my little sunshine because she lit up the house," she says. "She was making us laugh before she was a year old."
Two days before Thanksgiving, Shelly came back from a doctor's appointment to find emergency crews on her street. "There were all these people and a child lying on the ground," she says. "I had no idea it was my daughter." Daren says Erica was riding her bike home from school. "Erica was just around the corner from our house," he says. "She was 30 seconds from being home safely."
Erica had been hit head-on by a 5,000-pound SUV. Police say that the driver had recently finished a phone call at the time of the accident. "The driver said: 'I'm so sorry. I didn't see her,'" Shelly says. "I felt badly for the driver because I thought: 'Oh, she's unconscious. She's going to be okay.' … And they started cutting my daughter's clothes off and it was hitting me this is very, very, very serious."
Erica was rushed to the local Children's Hospital, then airlifted to another facility. "The neurosurgeon made it very clear she was going to die," Shelly says. "I spent the night with her that night. I held her. Cried. I kissed her. I sang to her. I just needed to have time with my girl."
That Little girl was 30 seconds and either 11 or 15 pedals, PEDALS away from her home. When I saw that I just burst into tears. I realized that could happen to anyone of us. I am or was guily of text/talking on my phone while driving. Today I took the NO PHONE ZONE Pledge and I am never going to use my phone while driving again. This show opened my eyes to the fact that I have been one of the lucky ones. I have not been in any accidents due to using my phone. I have been thanking god everyday for that. I felt the need to tell you all because I care about you guys to much to let anything happen to you or allow you to carry that burden of hurting someone because you were distracted by driving. Please take the Make Your Car a No Phone Zone Pledge! Just click the picture below and it will take you directly where you need to go.
XoXo
Kait
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