16 Year Old Dies While Driving and Texting
If you have a cell phone and a car, you’ve probably done the text and drive. But, I will also note that Kayla Preuss, 16, was also drunk driving. At 16, you’re definitely not a very good driver, coupled with driving while intoxicated and texting, she didn’t stand a chance. So sad.
A 16-year-old Highland girl who died after losing control of her car and crashing on the 10 Freeway had been texting on her mobile phone moments before the accident.
Kayla Preuss lost control of her Infiniti and slammed into the center median. The white 2004 G35 veered across the freeway, hit a guardrail, shot back across the road and hit the median again before coming to rest.
Kayla died within seconds of blunt injuries to her head.
Phone records show Kayla was texting moments before the accident, and her mobile phone, which was flipped open, was found resting on the floorboard by her feet, authorities said.
About 40 text messages had been sent over a three-hour period, the last of which was sent at 2:38 a.m., moments before the crash, a coroner’s investigation found.
“I hope it makes a lot of kids think,” said Kayla’s mother, Kelly Preuss.
There have been some of her friends who have gotten into accidents from texting, right after (Kayla’s death),” Preuss said.
Kayla had a blood alcohol level of 0.15 percent, coroner’s spokeswoman Sandy Fatland said.
Investigators determined alcohol and speeding (one witness reported Kayla had been driving about 90 mph) were the primary factors that led to the crash that killed Kayla. Ramos said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that texting factored into the equation.
Um, texting may not be the entire cause for the accident, but drunk driving, speeding and texting doesn’t exactly help out either.
R.I.P. Kayla.
