A 16-year-old teen from Texas was tragically killed in a rollover car crash a few blocks away from her home.
Reports say that the incident occurred after she took off her seat belt to take a photo of herself.
On October 28, Kailee Mills was driving with her friends to attend a Halloween party when she decided to unbuckle her seat belt to take a selfie. Unfortunately, the vehicle was involved in a single rollover crash in Rothwood, Texas.
Sitting in the back seat, the teen was ejected from the vehicle and died 500 yards away from her home. Her three friends, who were wearing seat belts when the accident occurred, survived with minor injuries.
“The car went off the road. She was ejected and she died instantly. All the other kids in the car had their seat belts on and they all survived with very little injury,” David Mills, Kailee’s father, told KRIV.
Deputies of the Harris County Sheriff said that they that the driver of the car was probably speeding and lost control.
David also said, “We know if she had her seat belt on, she’d still be here.”
After the incident, the Mills family started the Kailee Mills Foundation. This non-profit organization aims to remind people the importance of putting their seat belts on by putting decals on car windows.
The family also teamed up with the Texas Department of Transportation to implement the new ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign.
The campaign features a display memorial with different varieties of white shoes, representing thousands of people who become victims of not using seat belts properly in the state.
“Our daughter’s shoes are the pink ones that we placed there to represent her. They call them ghost shoes. I can almost see all the people standing here,” David Mills expressed.
The family hopes to honor their daughter’s legacy by having an increased seat belt usage all over the country.
“She had this laugh that was very unique. Her laugh alone made you smile and she loved to make people smile. My daughter was just outgoing, a ray of sunshine,” Wendy Mills said.
Click It or Ticket
What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree that all drivers and passengers should wear seat belts at all times? Don’t forget to SHARE this story with your family and friends to remind them the importance of wearing seat belts.