Angelina Holloway, 19, was just like any other teen her age — but with an extraordinarily kind heart.
She went out of her way to help people. She worked with children in her church, for example.
She was also studying to be a psychologist and wanted to work in healthcare or education.
Angelina had a new job and a new boyfriend. She looked forward to a trip to Uganda, and she had recently gotten her visa.
She wanted to adopt a child one day. She wanted to travel around the world.
But all that — all those dreams and all those future plans — were taken away from her.
Angelina Holloway, 19, died in a horrific car crash after she drove off the road in Floral City, Florida.
Angelina was on her way home from work when she lost control of her car and slammed into a tree.
The impact was so powerful that Angelina died instantly.
“She had called earlier and said she was working a double shift,” said Marvalene Corlett, Holloway’s mother, according to the Citrus County Chronicle. “I said, ‘OK. Be careful. I love you,’ and she said, ‘I love you, too.'”
Angelina left her job at 2:00 p.m. and started driving home. Angelina’s last sign of life came 11 minutes later, when she texted her boyfriend.
The last communication Angelina made in her life read: “I can’t wait to see you this weekend!!!”
According to the police, Angelina was driving too fast and was distracted. The fatal combination cost her her life.
“When I found her phone the next day, it was in the rubble in her car under everything,” Marvalene said. “It was devastating because she knew better.”
But hopefully Angelina didn’t die in vain.
Now, her death is at the heart of an anti-texting campaign that is showing the dangers of texting while sitting behind the wheel.
One year after her daughter’s death, mom Marvalene is informing others about the risks of texting while driving. Even the local police are participating in the campaign.
“I want it to hit the heart. I want them to see that it’s a reality, that it does happen. It took Angelina’s life, but it also impacted her family and all her friends, so it’s not worth it,” says Deputy Police Officer Michele Tewell, who helped launch the campaign.
Now, Angelina Holloway’s face, along with her latest text message, is appearing along Florida’s roads as a warning to drivers.
According to U.S. Department of Transportation, 3,477 people lost their lives to distracted driving in 2015 alone.
“Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention,” the department writes.
Angelina had to pay with her life for this and she’s far from the only person whose life has been cut short because of texting and driving. Please help share this warning.
As long as we keep losing our loved ones on the road, we must make a difference and help information like this to come out.
Driving and texting don’t mix. Spread Angelina’s story if you agree!
