The advance of technology creates device addicted generations that cannot function without their phones. The worst part is that many are using them while driving, which may result in life-threatening situations. Talking on the phone while behind the wheel affects drivers’ ability to respond to hazard and texting while driving is illegal in almost every state, but people still do it.
The recent accident that took place because of a cell phone usage led to the loss of the life of 17-year-old Katelyn Ray.
The tragic news left her family in disbelief. They couldn’t accept the fact that their sister and daughter was gone.
According to the police’s official report, the tragedy struck on September 5, while the teenager was driving on a highway in Panola County, Mississippi when she crushed in a school bus. Luckily, none of the students suffered any injuries, but sadly, Katelyn died on the spot.
What was supposed to be an ordinary day where this girl would pick her sister up from work and the two would have a fun day together, turned into the worst day of the life of the Ray family.
The Chester County Sheriff’s Office posted photos of the accident on their Facebook page as a warning to others of the tragic outcome of using a cellphone while driving.
“***PAY ATTENTION!!*** The driver of the car was 17 years old,” the post read. “No black marks because she never hit the brakes and she still had the cell phone in her hand when they removed her from the car.”
“I said don’t forget to pick your sister up. She said OK. Love you. And I said I love you too,” Katelyn’s mother Shelia Ray explained.
These are the words she will never forget because that was the last thing she said to her daughter before she died.
“We’ve been trying to call her and call her, no answer and then I got a phone call from the highway patrol, that said she had been really bad car accident,” Ray said.
“I get off work at seven o’clock and that’s when I got worried because she wasn’t there, Katelyn’s sister, Courtney Pettit, said. So, I gave her maybe 10 to 15 minutes. She may have stopped somewhere got her something to eat or something. About 7:30 a.m. when she wasn’t there, that’s when we started worrying,” she added.
EXCLUSIVE – The family of 17 yr old Katelyn Ray provided me with this picture of her. Ray was killed in a school bus crash in South Panola County today. She was a proud aunt and working on her GED. RIP. pic.twitter.com/rVyrdviLAv
— Annette E. Peagler (@Local24Annette) September 6, 2018
The big sister got worried so much that she posted on Facebook asking if someone has seen Katelyn. They hoped that someone would call them and tell them she was fine, but instead, they got the call that changed their lives forever.
“We don’t know what situation she was in, but when you look at that car, you can only think the worse,” said Stephanie Pettit, Katelyn’s aunt.
Katelyn Ray was proud aunt and she was taking GED classes at the WIN Job Center.
“A happy person like she was just happy, outgoing, bubbly. She loved hanging out with friends and family,” her sister said. “She was outgoing. She loved life, she loved her family.”
She only had her driver licence for two months before the crash took place.
What has happened to this young girl is beyond tragic. She was full of life and had a bright future ahead of her, and it was all lost because of one bad decision. That of using her phone while she was driving her car.
Our condolences go to the Ray family. Stay strong.
