HS Students Warned about Texting and Driving

The family of Alex Brown spoke to students in Dripping Springs about the dangers of texting while driving. The 17-year-old Brown died in a rollover accident after she lost control of her pickup truck while texting.

Her parents said Alex had big dreams for her future.

"She was taken college credit classes already, salutatorian of her class, she held a 4.0 in her college classes, a very intelligent young lady," said Alex's mother, Jeanne Brown. "She had a lot of dreams and wanted to be a broadcast journalist."

Those dreams were cut short in November 2009 when she was driving to school. She was speeding on a dangerous road in northwest Texas, and texting at the same time. It's a habit her parents had already warned her about just two weeks before.

"I told her 'Girl if you keep doing this you are going to have a wreck', those were my words, she said 'No i'm not," said Johnny Mac Brown, Alex's father. But she lost control of the white pick up truck, it rolled, she was ejected and then crushed when the vehicle rolled on top of her.

"Her death was 100% preventable, so we'd like to make the kids aware and make them think, texting and driving, stuff everybody does it but it's not safe," said Johnny Mac.

It's why the Browns have made it a mission to tell their story. Just two weeks after their daughter's death they took their message on the road, talking to teens all over the country.

"We didn't want any parents to have to bury their kids because we're not wired for that, we're not ready for that," he said.

Wednesday in Dripping Springs Alex's 12 year old sister Katrina had the attention of a gym full of students.

"I do know what it feels like to lose your role model, your older sibling and your hero," she said to them, many of the same teens admit to texting and driving.

It's why the Browns tow with them the shattered truck Alex was driving that November morning. A very real reminder that has some Dripping Springs teens pledging to stop texting and keep their eyes on the road at all times.

LINK: Remember Alex Brown Foundation