On August 19, 2016 my life forever changed. My mother was taken from me. She was taken from me by someone who was on his phone. My mom was my best friend. We had a relationship unlike any other. We were ridiculously close. We talked every day, sometimes several times a day. She was taken 4 days before her 56th birthday. She was young and so ready to embrace the MiMi life!
She woke up that morning and was driving to work like a normal day. She was testing driving a car and the car stalled on her. My mother lived in South Padre, TX. She was heading over the South Padre Bridge when her car stopped. She pulled over as far as she could (being on a bridge, there wasn't much room.) She put on her hazards and began making phone calls so someone could come get her. She was on the phone with her coworker when she looked up in the rear view mirror and said, "Oh, I hope this guy doesn't hit me." Those were her last words. The driver of a 9,000 lb linen truck hit her at 60 mph. He never touched his brakes. He was able to get out of his truck and call his girlfriend and then jump on social media. He never called 911. He never even approached my mom's car to see if she was OK. My mom wasn't so lucky. She was killed immediately.
What was so important on his phone? He was in an app looking for soccer match tickets that weekend in Mexico. He opened the app at 8:29:10 and killed my mom at 8:29:50. He never looked up. He didn't take his eyes away from his phone for 40 seconds while driving a 9,000 lb linen truck. Had he looked up, he could have swerved. He could have slammed on his brakes. He possibly could have saved my mother's life. Instead, I am now without both of my parents (I lost my dad in 2011 to a brain tumor.).
I want to raise awareness of the dangers of being on your cell phone while driving. I will be the 1st to admit that before this happened to me, I knew it was dangerous but would still be on my phone. Those who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash.* Texting takes your eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of a football field completely blind. In that one moment, my entire world was turned upside down. I would not wish what I have gone through to anyone. A text, an email, a scroll, a snapchat, or a glance is worth a life. I can promise you that #itcanwait.
In order to raise money for a scholarship given in Momma's memory, I had bracelets made from Pura Vida. My mom was a die-hard Dallas Cowboy fan who was born and raised in Dallas, TX. The colors of the bracelets represent those 2 loves in her life. The blue and silver for the Cowboys and the yellow for the Yellow Rose of Texas. My hopes is that when people look down and see the bracelet, they will remember to put their phones down while driving. I am selling #itcanwait decals. I'm hoping these can serve as reminders for all drivers that #itcanwait. Someone's life can be drastically changed in an instant. Nothing is worth more than a life.
She woke up that morning and was driving to work like a normal day. She was testing driving a car and the car stalled on her. My mother lived in South Padre, TX. She was heading over the South Padre Bridge when her car stopped. She pulled over as far as she could (being on a bridge, there wasn't much room.) She put on her hazards and began making phone calls so someone could come get her. She was on the phone with her coworker when she looked up in the rear view mirror and said, "Oh, I hope this guy doesn't hit me." Those were her last words. The driver of a 9,000 lb linen truck hit her at 60 mph. He never touched his brakes. He was able to get out of his truck and call his girlfriend and then jump on social media. He never called 911. He never even approached my mom's car to see if she was OK. My mom wasn't so lucky. She was killed immediately.
What was so important on his phone? He was in an app looking for soccer match tickets that weekend in Mexico. He opened the app at 8:29:10 and killed my mom at 8:29:50. He never looked up. He didn't take his eyes away from his phone for 40 seconds while driving a 9,000 lb linen truck. Had he looked up, he could have swerved. He could have slammed on his brakes. He possibly could have saved my mother's life. Instead, I am now without both of my parents (I lost my dad in 2011 to a brain tumor.).
I want to raise awareness of the dangers of being on your cell phone while driving. I will be the 1st to admit that before this happened to me, I knew it was dangerous but would still be on my phone. Those who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash.* Texting takes your eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of a football field completely blind. In that one moment, my entire world was turned upside down. I would not wish what I have gone through to anyone. A text, an email, a scroll, a snapchat, or a glance is worth a life. I can promise you that #itcanwait.
In order to raise money for a scholarship given in Momma's memory, I had bracelets made from Pura Vida. My mom was a die-hard Dallas Cowboy fan who was born and raised in Dallas, TX. The colors of the bracelets represent those 2 loves in her life. The blue and silver for the Cowboys and the yellow for the Yellow Rose of Texas. My hopes is that when people look down and see the bracelet, they will remember to put their phones down while driving. I am selling #itcanwait decals. I'm hoping these can serve as reminders for all drivers that #itcanwait. Someone's life can be drastically changed in an instant. Nothing is worth more than a life.
