On February 22, 17-year-old high-school student Camryn Callaway was killed in a violent car crash.
The incident was a tragedy for the whole community – her family were left heartbroken.
Camryn was out driving on the highway, a little past 22:00, when she drove straight into the trailer of a tractor in front of her.
The collision left Camryn’s car as nothing but a wreck. Camryn herself was killed instantly.
After an investigation by police, it was determined that Cameryn was distracted by trying to text on her phone whilst driving; this was what led her to driving directly into the vehicle in front.
Camryn’s mother, Michelle Lunsford, has said that her daughter never used her phone when she was behind the wheel. However, she has chosen not to contest the investigation’s findings.
She now wants others to see the ruination of her daughter’s car, in the hope that more people will understand just how dangerous it is to use your phone whilst driving.
“I think a visual needs to be seen. I know for me, I’m a visual person and to see my child in a casket who’s no longer with us, that’s visual to me and my family,” said Michelle, according to WKRG.
She continued: “Camryn was my heart. She was the reason I lived and now I just have a new focus on life. She’s not here anymore. I just want to honour her.”
AT&T, one of America’s largest telecom companies, helped extensively with the campaign to increase awareness of how dangerous it can be to text while at the wheel of a vehicle. This came after a survey made it apparent that 43% of the population acknowledged they had texted whilst driving.
According to AT&T, using a mobile phone when at the wheel makes it 23 times more likely that you’ll have an accident.
Of course, it should hardly come as news to anyone that people continue to use their phones when operating vehicles.
Watch the news report concerning Camryn’s terrible accident, below:
Everyday, people take the risk to use their phones when behind the wheel. Some make calls without using hands-free, some even attempt to text. Inevitably, this causes accidents.
Sure, not all of them are as serious as Camryn’s, but the fact remains that it is extremely dangerous to try to use a phone when on the roads.
Share this story to remind everyone you know: Mobile phones and driving don’t belong together! With a concerted effort, hopefully we can prevent this from ever happening again.
