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Texting While Driving

Hopefully My Inspirational Website Called, Pandra's Grief, Will Serve As A Vehicle To Raise Awareness About The Dangers Of Unsafe Drivers / Texting While Driving. This  Website Is In Loving Memory Of Our Precious Son, Paul ' Andre ' Williams, Jr.( 24 ), His Friends, Morgan Alfred, Jr.( 20 ), And Deshawn McIntyre ( 19 ). Tragically, They Were Killed In A Horrific Car Accident In Which My Nephew Was The Driver And The Only Survivor. It's Also In Memory Of My Devoted Father,Rev. Boykin Hunter ( 48 ), My Unforgettable Brother, Rev. Micheal Dean Hunter ( 41 ), And My Adorable Sister And Best Friend, Jacquelyn Hunter - Kendrick (39 ). And Is Dedicated To My Beautiful Family, Who Along With God, Has Been My Greatest Sustaining Strength And Support Throughout Our Lifetime Of Struggles With Grief. I'd Like To Clarify That Pandra's Grief, Is Some Of My Personal Reflections Of Grief, And Is In No Way Based On Anyone Else's Opinions Or Views About Grief.  I Thank Each Of You For Taking Time Out Of Your Busy Schedules To Visit My Site, Pandra's Grief. And Since This Is My First Time Building A  Website, With Absolutely No Computer Skills, I Could Only Hope That It Was An Inspiration, At Least To Some Of You. So If You've Been Inspired, I'd Welcome Your Kind Thoughts Or Well Wishes, And Appreciate Any Feedback Written On My GUESTBOOK Page. And  Feel Free To Pass The Word To Your Family And Friends, Or Even Your Enemy, If You Want To. For I Vowed To Share My Story To Help Others Commit To Safe Driving, And Absolutely No Texting While Driving, And To Give Hope To Those Experiencing Unimaginable Grief. My Mission Is For Pandra's Grief To Save  As Many Lives As Possible!  So Remember To Keep A Prayer Covering Over Your Family And Love Ones At All Times, And Be Grateful For Every Moment You Have With Them. Please Don't Take Each Other For Granted, Because None Of Us Knows What The Future Holds. And Don't Forget , To Comfort Those In Trouble With The Same Comfort We Ourselves Have Received From God. ( 1 Corinthians 1: 4 )  So Let The Healing Begin!   And Love Like There's No Tomorrow! Welcome  Again To Pandra's Grief, And God Bless You.                                                                                                                                                                  

     Years ago, I thought that real tragedies, only happened to people in the news, or to people I didn't know personally. And certainly not to me, or my family and friends. Little did I know that my day would soon come. For grief has no discrimination. And unfortunately, my day came on the morning of May 10, 2000.That's the day when our son,  Andre, left home to ride with my nephew to work, because he was supposed to use his car to take care of some personal business later on that day. Usually I would always tell him," I love you Andre, please be triple careful! O.K." Then he would reply," I know Ma,  I told you you worry too much!" The conversation averagely ended with him quickly, but embarrassingly responding, " I love you too  Ma!" But this particular morning he left so fast,  I figured I'd tell him when he come back home to get dressed for the day. But sadly about 20, or 25 minutes later, I received the most horrifying call of my life. My sister was on the other end screaming and hollering that someone had just called her and said that her son, Durran, had an accident, and two people were dead! And just like that, in an instant, countless lives were changed  forever. I remember thinking that, maybe I'm having a nightmare, and someone is gonna wake me up soon. But reality abruptly slapped me in the face. We were told that my nephew, Durran, was running late for work, and lost control of his car, and  slammed into a tree, then hit a concrete light pole. We eventually found out that the two people dead were my nephew's best friends, Deshawn and Morgan..Tragically, they were both killed on impact! Our son Andre, and my nephew, were rushed to Broward General Medical Center in critical condition. It seemed as though it took forever for us to get to the hospital. But when we did arrive, we were quickly taken into a private room. Then finally, the Doctor came in. He said that our son's injuries were extremely critical, and that he's on a respirator, and his injuries are so severe that there's nothing they can do to save him.There are no words to describe the pain, the agony, and the devastation that we all endured. It was absolutely nightmarish! And to make a long story short, our dear Andre lived for six horrifying days! So my nephew ended up being the only survivor. The thing that makes this even more tragic, is that all four of these young men were very well respected, extremely popular, church going gentlemen, and were literally in the prime of their lives. None of them smoke, did drugs, nor drank.  Neither were they talking on the cell phone or texting. Durran was simply doing what we all sometimes do, he was rushing to get to work, because he didn't want to be late. Unfortunately this can happen to anyone that drives a vehicle, even the most experienced driver.                                                                                

     Texting While Driving continues to be a huge problem,especially among young drivers.  Texting While Driving statistics indicate that it's absolutely necessary for parents to counsel their teenage children as to the hazards of Texting While Driving. Parents need to tell their children that it is better to be safe than sorry and a moment's loss of concentration, especially, when driving at high speeds can have disastrous consequences.  Whether you're changing the radio station, driving under the influence, watching the kids from the rear view window, putting on makeup, speeding, talking on the cell phone or texting, etc, distracted driving has become a deadly epidemic. And we need to take personal responsibility and help put an end to this dangerous behavior. It only takes a split second to become distracted while driving, and science shows that our brain can't multitask the way that a lot of people think they can. Studies show that brain activity is lowered by 37% when someone drives and uses a cell phone simultaneously. Experts have seen that using a cell phone and driving at the same time, stalls reaction times of drivers to the same degree as motorists with a blood - alcohol concentration at the legal limit of 0.08. A driver who's texting takes their eyes off the road nearly five seconds at a time which, according to reports, is enough time to travel the length of a football field at 55 miles per hour, including the end zones, without looking at the road.  Most Americans admit that texting and talking on the cell phone is two of the most dangerous things to do while driving. But, 67% admit that they do it anyway. According to the National Safety Council, Texting While Driving contributes to more than 200,000 automobile accidents each year. Among the various driving distractions, Texting While Driving  stands out as the most dangerous.  Because of this, 30 states across America have made the use of a cell phone while driving illegal. Others have enacted laws to ban handheld mobile phone use, but allow use of a handfree device. But realistically, it happens everyday, drivers are  sending or reading text messages without a thought of what lies ahead.  I appeal to all those who are Texting While Driving, please stop doing it now. Who knows, the life you save may be your love one, or my life, or even your own life. For certainly, no phone call, email, or text message is worth a person losing their life. So Please Remember To Slow Down!  Even if it causes you to be a few minutes late. For definitely, it's better to be late, than to be sorry, later. And never, ever text while driving. And if our tragedy causes even one person to actually slow down, or stop Texting While Driving, then certainly, this message was not in vain.  

 

             No Parent Should Have To Bare The Burden Of Burying Their Own Child!