Fourteen people across Kansas and Missouri are sharing stories as part of the annual Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day safety blog series. Some stories share triumph about a life saved, while some stories tell the tragedy of a life being taken.
“My beautiful daughter, Danielle, made a decision that not only took her life, but flipped life upside down for her entire family and so many friends,” said Jacque Tierce, of Larned, in today’s safety blog. “She was texting on Snapchat while driving down the highway at 65 mph, didn’t see a semi in front of her that slowed to make a turn and slammed into the back of it without braking.”
Danielle died in May 2018 because she was texting while driving. “She’s not here and never will be again,” Jacque said. “Sometimes you just have to breathe through the pain. A pain that will be there for the rest of your life.”
Four Kansas Highway Patrol troopers will also be sharing stories throughout the series. When a person dies in a vehicle crash, they are the one whose job it is to notify the next of kin. They see the consequences and the pain the families suffer, and they experience some of that as well.
Technical Trooper Tod Hileman from Hays recalled responding to a double fatality involving teenagers. Part of the process is to make sure victims are correctly identified. During that process, he noticed the teenaged girl driving the car was the same age as his daughter and had the same hair and eye color.
“I just kind of had a flash that it was my daughter lying there,” Hileman said. “So that really hit me.”
After everything was wrapped up at the crash scene, Hileman had to go meet the parents and “told them the words they never ever wanted to hear in their life.”
The safety blog series started Sept. 22 and runs through Oct. 11 as part of the efforts in Kansas to highlight the Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day national safety campaign. Whether you are in a vehicle, on a motorcycle or even walking, the campaign’s goal is for you to arrive safely.
To read all the safety blogs in this series, click HERE.
Read below the entire blog from Larned's Jacque Tierce...
You just have to breathe through the pain
By Jacque Tierce
Sleepless nights, severe anxiety attacks, uncontrollable crying, deep depression, high blood pressure, nightmares, replaying the past, and daydreaming of what the future could have been are a glimpse at living through the loss of a loved one. Birthdays, holidays, new births, weddings, first days of school, and such are all constant reminders, she’s not here and never will be again. Sometimes you just have to breathe through the pain. A pain that will be there for the rest of your life.
On May 26, 2018, my beautiful daughter, Danielle, made a decision that not only took her life, but flipped life upside down for her entire family and so many friends. She was texting on Snapchat while driving down the highway at 65 mph, didn’t see a semi in front of her that slowed to make a turn, and slammed into the back of it without braking. Thankfully she did not have her 3-year-old son with her and thankfully nobody else was injured, physically anyway.
“I miss my mommy,” her son tells me. Me too buddy, me too. “My mommy had an accident right here,” he says as we drive by the dreaded oil-stained spot on the highway. She has already missed his first day of school, several birthdays, first experience playing baseball, school programs, and countless other events with so many yet to come. All moments Danielle would have been glowing over. Her son was her life. Those opportunities are gone for both Danielle and her son now because of a Snapchat that just couldn’t wait. Now we spend our time trying to keep her memory alive for him, telling “mommy stories,” and breathing through the pain.
I spent the remainder of 2018, all of 2019, and the beginning of 2020 (until COVID hit) traveling around to different schools in Kansas and Oklahoma telling our story. At my side was Shiane Wondra. Shiane’s story is exactly the same as Danielle’s, except Shiane lived through it. “Is it a risk you are willing to take?” - we would ask the students. I would leave each presentation and drive home bawling the entire way, sleep for hours afterwards, and pray we made an impact on at least one! If we can save just one family from going through this pain, it’s worth it.
What is distracted driving? One might think, it’s a text message. While texting and driving is one form of distraction, it’s not the only form. Being distracted is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as, “having one’s thoughts or attention drawn away.” Therefore, anything that takes your eyes or mind off of the road is a distraction.
I cannot tell you the number of live videos, pictures being taken, phone calls being made, or people scrambling around to find something in their car while driving. I STILL have friends that do these things. It’s heartbreaking. Some people just will not get it until they go through it. It can change your entire life, or the life of another, in a matter of seconds.
On our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/doit4danielle/, is my original blog and countless stories of tragedies such as ours. Help spread the word! Help save a life! No matter what your age is, be the example. Make a commitment today to put your phone down while driving. Meanwhile, I will continue to share our story and breathe through the pain.
Jacque Tierce, a grieving mom