As Kristin Murphy drove home from work on March 9, 2010, she was preparing to say goodbye to her daughter. Nineteen-year-old Chelsey had called her earlier in the day to share the good news--she had finally picked up the keys to her very first apartment. And while it was a bittersweet moment, Kristin wasn't worried. Chelsey was just moving a block away.
But as she neared her home in Naples, Florida, Kristin was greeted by sirens and flashing lights. In the pit of her stomach, she knew.
"I actually made a phone call to her cell phone, thinking: God, I hope that’s not my child."
Soon, her worst fears were confirmed. Chelsey, who was four months pregnant, was struck by a teen driver talking on his cell phone as she crossed an intersection between her mom's house and her new apartment. The driver never stopped.
Chelsey remained in a coma for five days, but never woke up. And in an instant, the dreams Kristin had for her daughter and her future grandchild were shattered.
Today, Kristin is committed to keeping Chelsey's memory alive. With the help of her church, she created the Chelsey Murphy Memorial Park in Naples--a place where parents and kids can laugh and play the way Chelsey and her child never had a chance to. She's advocating for the passage of tough distracted driving laws in Florida. And she's joined FocusDriven's efforts to raise awareness about the true costs of cell phone use behind the wheel.
"Look at what distracted driving has taken from me. I’ve lost my daughter, and I’ll never know my grandchild," she said. "No one should ever have to experience this kind of loss because of a text or phone call."
If you have a distracted driving experience you'd like to share, post a video on YouTube and email a link to faces@distraction.gov.
My heart goes out to you! This is horrible. I dont know what more we can do and say to these teenagers to KEEP OFF THE PHONE WHILE DRIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for goodness sake! PLEASE!!!
Posted by: mary lopez | November 23, 2011 at 09:21 PM