At some point, statisticians will tally the number of people injured in 2011 in automobile accidents caused by distracted drivers. When they do, I will be someone they count. But I am more than a statistic: I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend. And on December 2, 2011, because of a distracted driver, I almost became a traffic fatality.
For two days after the accident, the only people who knew what had happened were my husband and children. Then, because I could not face making multiple phone calls, I sent an email to my family and a few close friends. Here is part of the text of that email: Continue reading

By my count, over the years I have watched my children perform in more than 14 school musicals, 52 school concerts, and four years worth of band cavalcades and marching band half-time shows. Add to that years of semi-annual voice, piano, and cello recitals and you’ll understand why I say I feel as if I’ve spent a quarter of my life sitting on unforgiving auditorium seats.