Sunday, May 29, 2005
Teen channels her grief into reaching out
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Shanna Flowers is The Roanoke Times' metro columnist.
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In August 2003, her teen cousin was killed when the car he was driving was struck on a rural Pennsylvania road. He wasn't wearing a seat belt. Seven months later, in March 2004, Tiffany's three best friends - including her boyfriend - died in a car crash in Bedford County. Only one of them was correctly buckled in.
"All I could do was cry and wonder, 'My best friend is gone, what am I going to do?'" said Tiffany, 18, who will graduate next month from Staunton River High School in Bedford County, and who works with YOVASO - Youth of Virginia Speak Out - a statewide organization that educates young people about traffic safety.
As we pay homage this weekend to our nation's war dead and our loved ones, Tiffany's tragic loss is a sobering reminder of the young lives cut short each year in traffic crashes.
Auto accidents are the No. 1 killer of young people 16 to 20 years old. In Virginia, 157 teens were killed in 2004, up from 133 in 2003.
More than half the deaths two years ago were caused by speeding. Of the 157 young people killed last year, 53 percent were not wearing seat belts. (Someone explain to me again why Virginia refuses to enact a mandatory seat belt law.)
Among other reasons cited in teen fatalities are vehicles running off the road, driver distractions and inexperience, and alcohol and drugs.
By nature of being young, teens think they have their whole lives in front of them. Sadly, as the numbers indicate, the opposite is true each year for dozens of young Virginians.
YOVASO was established in 2001 in response to the increasing number of teen traffic fatalities in Virginia. The organization, which has a budget of $180,000, is funded by a grant through the Department of Motor Vehicles and administered by Carilion Health System.
YOVASO works with schools all over the state in creating programs that make teens aware of traffic safety. The program's reliance on young people as ambassadors is a valuable tool in getting out the message of traffic safety.
In addition to talking about the death of her cousin, Tiffany, who spoke at YOVASO's award ceremony this month, often shares the chilling story of the deaths of her three friends last year.
Virginia Creasey and Barbara Mills, both of Staunton River High School, and Michael Williams, of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, had just visited her with two other teens, she said recently, recalling the crash.
"My father is a volunteer EMT [emergency medical technician]. When the call went over the radio, I knew something was wrong because they had just left my house," Tiffany said.
She said she tried several times to call Virginia's cellphone. Finally, the front-seat passenger called Tiffany back and told her that they had been in an accident.
"It was hard," she said of the days after the crash. "I didn't really know what to think. I wasn't sure how to deal with it."
Tiffany underwent Christian counseling and began volunteering occasionally with YOVASO. In March, she joined the staff as an intern, organizing events such as mock crashes, writing newsletter articles - and sharing her painful loss.
"When I tell my stories, I give them the full details of what their injuries were," Tiffany said. "I say, 'Hey, pay attention and wear your seat belt, because this is what can happen to you.'"
Jessica Bland, executive director of YOVASO, said Tiffany connects with her peers in a way that an older adult couldn't.
"When she speaks to other students, the fact that she is their age and has been through this, they can relate to her. They can relate to losing their best friend. Her youth has been a tremendous asset."
Undergoing the heartbreaking loss of friends has given Tiffany firm direction in her own life. She is now a volunteer EMT and plans to become a paramedic. She also wants to attend Jefferson College of Health Sciences to become a registered nurse.
"Now," said the young woman who learned from her friends' tragic deaths and wants other young people to learn from them as well, "my life is good."
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