Girl in Fatal Wreck Sent Text Message Moments Before Crash

[Chunkyhunks]

HIGHLAND, Calif. — Authorities say a 16-year-old girl who died after losing control of her car had been texting on her cell phone moments before the accident.

Kayla Preuss, of Highland, was driving on the Interstate 10 Freeway in Redlands when she lost control of her car and crashed. She died of head injuries.

Authorities say Preuss had been driving drunk and was speeding. But another factor may have contributed to the crash.

Phone records show Preuss was texting just before the accident. Her cell phone, which was flipped open, was found resting on the floorboard by her feet.

Preuss' mother Kelly said she hopes the accident will make other people think before texting and driving.

 

[upper]

*facepalm*

 

[nightsky]

Drunk and texting, and 16. Sheesh what a recipe for disaster. She paid the ultimate price, and now her family must also.

 

[Trapper7]

I heard it is illegal to talk on your cell while driving in CA. I guess that doesn't include texting. This happens so often...when will people learn?

 

[upper]

I heard it is illegal to talk on your cell while driving in CA. I guess that doesn't include texting. This happens so often...when will people learn?

no driving with 1 hand you can talk on your cell with a bluetooth or something. those wireless hand free thingy.

 

[Est]

I wonder what her last few texts were. And to whom they were sent.

But something tells me that "lol U suk" or something equally trivial are probably the best candidates.

 

[swords]

They made a no-texting-while-driving law here becaue of girls texting and then crashing/dying. I'm sure there's guys who do it too but the ones who die (in MN anyway) always seem to be carloads of teenage girls. Though, how they plan to enforce such a law is beyond my comprehension since they still allow people to use cell phones while driving.

 

[PlantAKiss]

I wish they'd make a law here. My friend does it all the time and I yell at her. I also wish they'd make a no driving while talking law.

Very sad story...


(I'm sorry but that man in the picture looks like a Klingon from Star Trek. WHAT is up with that shirt??)

 

[Est]

(I'm sorry but that man in the picture looks like a Klingon from Star Trek. WHAT is up with that shirt??)

It's Captain Picard from Star Trek, so there's a reason for the getup. lol

My friend does it all the time and I yell at her

Steph? If so, I'll yell at her on Thursday. ... if the chat works by then. :-X

 

[Alien1099]

I wonder if she was texting with this guy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmpX4jCpbDI

 

[Jayson16]

Yeah here in NY its illegal to text/call on a cell phone. You always see people doing it and you never hear about people being pulled over for it...

 

[PlantAKiss]

Steph? If so, I'll yell at her on Thursday.

Yes...STEPH! I hate it when she does that...its just as bad as driving drunk.

 

[PlantAKiss]

It's Captain Picard from Star Trek, so there's a reason for the getup. lol

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Well...glad to know it isn't an up-and-coming fashion.

 

[NaRnAr]

Gah, thats terrible! My nephews mom, whom I will NEVER ride in the car with because the one time I did I feared for my life all 45 minutes both ways!, will mess with the radio and text, all while she is driving with her KNEE! I about had a nervous breakdown paired with a severe panic attack the day I was in her car...we were swerving in and out of traffic! Makes me nervous just thinking about it!!

COlorado passed the no one-handed driving cellphone usage back July 1st. Not that its stopping anyone!

Thankfully the noise from driving (I have a Jeep without a top right now) keeps me from using my cellphone...well pretty much all year as its still noisy with all of the windows on during the fall and winter! That and Im not skilled enough to eat and drive, much less text and drive!

 

[Trapper7]

no driving with 1 hand you can talk on your cell with a bluetooth or something. those wireless hand free thingy.

I think that's stupid. I truely feel that it's not the "one handed driving" that causes car accidents. It's the fact that you're on the phone, listening to someone and not paying attention to the road! Jeff drives with one hand a lot of the time...lots of people do. I think they should change that law and make it a NO CELL PHONE USE ANYTIME YOU'RE DRIVING law! That includes texting! What is so darn important that you HAVE TO text someone when you are operating a vehicle! A car can be a deadly weapon, if you're not prepared to use it properly then stay home and text from there!

 

[xvart]

I also wish they'd make a no driving while talking law.

Yeah, I hate it when people are talking about their law school assignments and the LSAT while driving.

xvart.

 

[Trapper7]

Yeah, I hate it when people are talking about their law school assignments and the LSAT while driving.

xvart.

LOL! Goofball

 

[swords]

I might be going on thin ice here but I don't see any problem with normal conversation while driving, provided the person you're speaking with is in the car with you and you're not a "hands talker" (someone who's hands have to be moving when your lips are). Looking at the person you're talking to while driving is a bad idea though.

They also recently passed a law here where there can only be two kids 18 or younger in a car together. How they'll enforce it without pulling over everyone anytime they see 2 or more people in car to ask for IDs will be interesting to see.

 

[scottychaos]

We had a major accident out here in Rochester a year ago..
FIVE girls, had just graduated from highschool the week before, headed down to a cottage for the weekend..all 5 killed when they swerved into the other lane and hit a tractor trailer head-on.

there were reports of some text messages going back and forth between the girls in the car and other friends elsewhere...the media glossed over it, it couldnt be 100% proven, but one text message was sent seconds before the crash, from the phone of the girl driving, but its not known if the driver was actually the one doing the texting..IMO, its obvious she was. IMO they all died because of texting while driving. :-(

there were actually two cars of girls, all friends going to the same place..
the girls in the second car witnessed the whole thing up close..

They also recently passed a law here where there can only be two kids 18 or younger in a car together.

I think that is a GREAT idea!
they say teenage boys are the worst drivers..but IMO there is nothing more dangerous on the road than a big pack of teenage girls in the same car..

Scot

 

[radjess331]

I had several classes with her she was really nice.........

cant believe what happened......

......but I have personally been in an accident cause I was txting....it wasnt a bad one....I backed into a pole....but yeah lolz........

What they arent mentioning though is the fact that the roads here in redlands are horrible....

Most people in my highschool have rolled cars in redlands......

I rolled my car recently also....it was me and 8 friends....we were talking and the boulder side of one of the roads shifted and a boulder went into the road....I hit it...swerved one way...tried to compensate and rolled the car.....

but yea.....I know some stuff that they also didnt mention in that post....like that she died in may...this isnt a recent thing......

meaning she was txting before the law came out.....thank god it wasnt me txting her though...i would have been in big trouble....luckily i had only txted her a few times the days before......

also it wasnt her txting that caused her to crash.......

she was drunk.....she had just come from drinking with my friends.....

.......so yea....just a little more info to add to this.....