I was a starry-eyed teenager, taking life for granted until my life literally turned upside down on April 5, 2016. Every day since then has been a precious gift. I could have died that day, along with my mother and brother. Instead, we each became a positive statistic.

On this particular day, we were on our way to a 4-H competition. I was cramming to study for my interview using the internet on my mom’s phone. Bam! Our left rear tire blew out. At first, everything seemed normal. My mom turned off the cruise control and began to slow down. Then, it sounded like a giant monster was trying to eat the back of our vehicle, and the back end swung into the left lane. The rubber had come completely off the tire, which caused the vehicle to fishtail, swinging wildly to the left and right. I was terrified! Mom told my brother and me to hold on.

I hunkered down into my seat, making sure my seatbelt was on tight and correctly. My brother put his bookmark in his book. We had no idea what was about to happen! We skidded off the highway facing the direction from which we had come. The front left tire popped off the rim, and the rims dug into the dirt on the roadside between the interstate and access road. We started rolling over and went airborne for one and a half rolls to our left. We landed hard on the left side when we hit the ground, and then, we rolled at least two more times. The sounds were terrifying... crunching metal, shattering glass, groans and cries of pain.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, everything stopped. We ended up on our left side, so I was hanging from my seatbelt above my mom. I looked at Mom and she wasn't moving. I was so scared! I called out to her, and she didn't respond. I called her name louder, and she finally moved. I told her I was going to call 9-1-1. Miraculously, I had managed to hold onto our phones throughout the whole ordeal. I was afraid we were going to get hit by another car on the highway. I turned to look back at my brother and saw that he was hanging by his seatbelt, but he was moving and groaning. My 9-1-1 call went through, and I started telling the operator what had happened.

People who had seen us crash stopped to help. They started ripping out the front windshield. I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed out through the windshield. I watched the people get my brother and my mom out of the car. I tried to call my dad, who was at a meeting an hour and a half away. EMTs arrived in an ambulance. I could not believe what was happening to us.

I had hit my head hard on the part of our vehicle that was caved in on my side. A doctor asked me if we had been wearing our seatbelts. I replied that we had, and he said we survived the wreck because we were wearing them. Those words stuck with me.

The tally was this: my brother suffered three broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung, a bruised heart with internal bleeding, and broken L-1 and L-4 vertebrae. One of his breaks was called a transverse process, which is caused by forces typical of plane crashes and gunshot wounds - just to give you a mental picture of how violent our crash was. My mom had seven broken ribs, a broken scapula and broken hand; all on her left side. I had a concussion. However, we were all still alive, and that second chance was really what mattered.

We had been separated when we got to the hospital. In sharing our experiences, we learned that all three of our doctors had said that we survived because we were wearing our seatbelts. Hearing what three different doctors said really impacted me. It inspired me to do something to let people know that wearing their seatbelt is more than just avoiding a ticket; it can save your life.

Immediately, I knew I could use my 4-H platform and public speaking skills to spread the word. I could write a Safety and Injury Prevention Educational Presentation to share my story. I researched my topic and found out that the doctors were right! Between sixty and seventy percent of all rollover crash victims who died were NOT wearing their seatbelts. I also learned that head rests serve as head restraints in accidents and play a huge role in survivorship. Vehicle maintenance and regularly checking for tire wear or damage can also help prevent blowouts.

My message can save lives! I have given my presentation locally and at state 4-H contests, and seen it impact the people in the rooms, but I want to do more!!!! We developed Buckle Up, Buttercup! T-shirts to sell for starters. They were a hit, but I would like to travel and speak at high schools, to civic groups, churches, on television, and more! I also have an idea for a pop-up trailer that could include a mechanical rollover convincer, a Virtual Reality distracted driving scenario module, and a retail shop for T-shirts, posters and more to promote my campaign. Let’s do this together! Please help support my campaign to teach the importance of proper seat belt safety, vehicle and tire maintenance, and head rest placement. People do not realize how important a safety habit is until they meet someone like me who put it into practice and is still alive to tell about it. I have the passion and the story... Together, we can save lives!! THANK YOU!!!