Katrina Lyman was 18-years-old when she was killed in a crash in the Arnprior area in May 2010.
Ottawa police says Lyman's Nissan was heading south on County Road 29 near Galetta Side Road in west Ottawa when the car hit the shoulder. They say it appeared she over-corrected the error, striking the oncoming pickup truck. Three people in the other vehicle suffered non life-threatening injuries.
Police found that moments before the collision, Katrina was texting while driving. She had posted a message to Facebook moments before she was killed.
Now, nearly five years after the tragic accident, Katrina's mother is sharing her story to raise awareness about the dangers of using hand-held devices while behind the wheel.
"She had a purpose, she had a life, and it’s gone now, because of not thinking," Samantha Lyman said. "Everybody believes it won’t happen to them, that they won’t lose someone or it won’t be them, and I’m here to say it did happen, and it does happen."
Lyman says Katrina's loss has left a huge hole in her and her family's life. She says the accident has lead to her and her husband separating, and that not a day goes by when she doesn't feel the heavy loss of her daughter.
Katrina was known as Kay to her loved ones. Her mother says she was a bright young woman who loved to read and was very family oriented, and that she was looking forward to planning her nineteenth birthday that summer.
"I still have a lot of her stuff, I’m just slowly now starting to say I can give some of this away," Lyman said. "A lot of it is going to my grandkids, her special things, because I don’t want to let go, I’m not ready."
Lyman says if she could say something to her daughter now, she would tell her how much she loves and misses her, and she would like to ask her why she chose to text and drive.
Research shows drivers who use a cell phone behind the wheel are four times more likely to be in a collision that those who don't. But police say despite those odds, many drivers still aren't getting the message.
As part of the OPP's week-long distracted driving campaign that runs from March 14 to 21, Ottawa OPP constables have laid 24 charges for using a hand-held communication device, two charges for a display screen that is visible to the driver, and one charge for careless driving.
Ottawa police say in the last five years in Ottawa, 40 percent of all collision have been due to distracted driving, and those accidents have resulted in 6,400 injuries and 18 deaths.
Lyman hopes her family's situation will act as reminder to others that distracted deadly can be deadly.
"People out there just need to stop, and think about it, think about how precious life is, and how short it can be because of one simple mistake."
