Local Teen Provides a Testimony of A Second Chance

Not often does one stop to think about how a song was written about their life. Yet, for one young woman, there are several songs that could indeed, speak volumes about their life.

This story is a personal testimony of local youth, Hannah Hanley, of Whitewater. It is her wish that sharing this might save your life or someone else's due to texting and driving. This is her story.

It was a quiet day in her life, the sun was shining, and she was looking forward to an even quieter night at home with her parents. Her heart was light and happy – she had not a care in the world.

Driving like she was pacesetter for the speedway, listening to her music on the radio, her mind was distracted as she was sending a text message to her girlfriend. She stopped texting and started listening to the music. Slightly confused, she pondered the words of the song. Huh? Those weren't the right words to the song!

She thought about the text message and re-read it and started typing again.

And at this point, it was too late. Driving between 90 and 100 miles per hour, texting and driving, distracted "for only two seconds" and inexperienced as a driver, the young woman's life would forever change that spring day.

Those factors were a recipe for disaster.

Or even death.

In the next seconds, she found herself spinning out of control. She grabbed the wheel and quickly tried to avoid the reflector staring her in the face. Swerving to avoid it – she over-corrected. In her fear of hitting the ditch, she swerved again... and again. The car jerked quickly and she found herself perpendicular on the road...heading south instead of north as she was planning.

The car rolled, and she listened as every window on the car broke. As she began to roll a second time, she recalled praying, the words asking to be saved. She didn't want to die. Not today. Not like this.

Flashes of the last time she saw her mother's face etched in her visions. Oh Lord, what would dad say if she lived – would he want to kill her for wrecking the family car? She didn't want to leave her siblings hurting for the rest of their life.

By "divine intervention" or "a greater power" she felt the car slowly come to rest on its wheels.

Shaken, scared, terrified...but alive! The song "Jesus, Take the Wheel" might have been playing on the radio for all she knew. Or perhaps it was just the first thing that came into her scrambled mind.

As she unbuckled her seat belt and reached for her cell phone in the back seat, a sense of urgency came over her as she dialed 9-1-1. A pungent smell filled the car; crawling out to the pavement, she felt a sense of gratefulness. Knowing the car might explode or catch on fire, she crawled away a safe distance from the wreckage. She quickly typed a message to her friend 'I am glad to be alive and she never meant it more in her life.

Before long the ambulance arrived and she was in their care. It was determined she needed care offered in Billings and she was life-flighted out. In less than 50 minutes she was in the care of trauma doctors and at ease. Released the following day the young woman walked on ground that she thought she would never see again.

Whispers of thanks for the opportunity to see another day quietly filled her heart, and with this second chance, the young woman reached out to the PCN and asked to share her story in hopes it might reach others.

Her message to others: "DON'T TEXT while driving, DON'T SPEED, and keep your eyes on the road!" She knows the risks personally and feels she was given a second chance; her hopes someone will think twice before they become a fatality and statistic.

Officer Christopher Baker of Montana Highway Patrol, who investigated the accident, said the young driver was "very lucky", and hopes others will learn a lesson from someone else's errors.

According to the National Safety Council, the percentage of drivers manipulating hand-held electronic devices has increased to 1,300%, from .2% in 2005 to 2.8% in 2020. Among other activities, this observation includes text messaging.

The mother of a young driver in a neighboring town, who wasn't wearing a seat belt and was killed, started a campaign of awareness and encouraged young drivers across the state to tie a blue ribbon to the steering wheel as a reminder to buckle up. Perhaps a color needs to be tied to the steering wheel as a visual reminder to stop before texting.

Young people - don't make your parents have to choose a casket because you HAD to send a message to someone. Life is too short and precious to gamble on, you mean too much to too many people to throw away because of a text. Don't let vitamins strong in iron fill your foot with lead and cause a wreck or death.

With a multitude of lessons learned from the incident, the youth walked away from the mass of crushed metal. A car is replaceable...you aren't. She now travels with her cell phone on silent mode...in the back seat. When traveling with others she discourages texting. Her friends, with a smile on their face, respond to her offers to drive with "No thanks! We want to get there alive!"

Friends can laugh now because it's behind them. Young drivers...your life and future are ahead of you. Don't text, buckle up, and drive safe. We want to see you in a lot of our tomorrows.