“She was accepting of kids of all types, welcoming of everyone. I don’t know how you could find a better kid,” says the mother of a 16-year-old girl who was killed as a passenger in a car accident, as Jessica Rush reports for the Plano Star.
The single-vehicle crash happened because the driver, the girl’s friend of the same age, was apparently speeding above the posted limit of 70 miles per hour and lost control of her Volkswagen Jetta in the rain.
The car ran into the median and struck a guide sign, which killed the girl and left the driver seriously injured.
The family has been pursuing a safe-driving campaign in honor of their daughter’s memory.
In addition to printed material that the family distributes at high school football games, the family also created a Facebook page. One friend wrote, “We receive a nickel in change and think of you,” referring to the girl’s ‘Nickel’ nickname.
Of the safe-driving campaign, the girl’s mother said, “It’s changed their habits and the way they view driving. I wish the each class of 16-year-old drivers developed that mindset.”
Source: Plano Star, “Nickels for Nicole: fatal crash anniversary renews safe-driving commitment,” by Jessica Rush, 07/27/11