Allen, Texas — 17-year-old Emily Stambaugh, a North Texas high school senior, has died following a single-vehicle accident on Thursday afternoon (11/07/2013). According to police, the accident appears to be attributable to texting while driving.
The crash took place at around 3:00 p.m. in Allen, Texas on West Exchange Parkway near Trinidad Lane. According to Sgt. Jon Felty, Ms. Stambaugh’s car veered off the road, hit the curb and then struck a rock wall. Preliminary results of the investigation show that “it certainly appears she was texting with (her) boyfriend and sister at the time the accident occurred,” said Felty.
I encourage all of you reading this to do your part in reducing the number of accidents attributed to texting while driving. The most effective thing you can do is to make a promise to yourself to not text and drive. Even more helpful is to make that promise public. Tell your friends to hold you to it. If you are riding with a driver who is texting while driving, take the phone and text for them. If they don’t get the hint, shame them into stopping by pointing out how disrespectful it is to you by putting you in danger. If they cannot refrain from texting while driving, ask to be let out of the car. Don’t enable this dangerous epidemic – help change the mindset of those in your social circle!
See more on texting & driving.
