So sad, but it is too late for our church family.
We had our own tragedy 2 months ago. A young teen was texting (the kind of kid that is usually responsible and does the right thing) when he ran a stop-sign near our church. He hit a minivan carrying the one of our church's preschool teachers and her 3 children. The impact was so hard, both vehicles became air-born and the minivan was thrown into another church member's house. The van caught fire and the teacher died within 2 days. Her children are physically OK but were very bloody at the accident scene. The house burned to the ground. The teacher's widow is a popular middle school teacher and high school baseball coach.
Our church is in a very rural area and the accident was less then a mile away. God provided that there were other people (also from our church) driving by that saw the accident and had to pull the teacher & her children from the burning van. They saved the children's lives. One of the passersby was a teacher of one of the children. The teen was also hurt but he will carry the scars of his mistake for the rest of his life. Until the house was torn down, church members drove 5 miles out of their way to avoid going past the charred remains.
So, a family has lost a wife & mother, a beloved teacher is gone, an elderly family has to rebuild their house, several people have nightmares from trying to save her life & helping the injured children, and a young teen's life is changed forever.
Still...... I see teens texting in their cars leaving school every day, even as they drive past the accident site.
