Father shares story of daughter killed by distracted driver
On Jan. 3, 2008, 26-year-old Heather Hurd was struck from behind by a truck, its driver distracted while texting. She was killed instantly.
“Because of distracted driving, I will never get to walk a daughter down the aisle on her wedding day,” her father, Russell Hurd of suburban Baltimore, said at Tuesday’s second national Distracted Driving Summit in Washington. “I will never be get to hold a grandchild or my daughter. And I will never get to hear her wonderful giggle ever again.”
Heather worked at Disney World and was scheduled to have one of the fairy-tale princess weddings the park is known for and little girls dream about. She was on her way to meet her wedding planner when she was killed.
“In place of joy and laughter there are sorrow and tears,” Russell Hurd said.
“Each and every American has a Heather in their life. It is our responsibility to do all we can to save them from needless injuries and deaths because someone decides to drive distracted rather than to operate their vehicle in a safe manner.” – Anna Waugh
