By Zach Richter Copper Area News
In 2007 Pamela Woods’ son and grandchildren where in a car accident caused by a texting driver. While most of the family was left with minor scrapes and bruises, grandson Shaun suffered head injuries, memory loss and a T-4 injury that left him paralyzed from the chest down.
“My grandson’s accident was five years ago and the fact that the problem is still out there, it still feels like it was yesterday,” Woods said in an interview with the Southeast Valley Ledger. “That’s why I’ve chosen to go out and tell my story.”
According to Woods, Shaun, who recently celebrated his ninth birthday, has made great strides since the collision and has transferred his love of baseball to hockey.
“The lady was 24, she ran the red light and hit their SUV,” Woods said, “My son could see the phone in her hand as it happened.”
In the spring of 2012, Woods put together a video and a pamphlet and began offering to tell her family’s story to teens. “It’s just something I got to thinking about it one day, I thought there had to be a way of telling the story and sharing it with others,” she said.
Woods first gave her presentation at Combs High School in the spring and says she has since shared her story with over 500 students. “I just started sending out emails,” she recalled, “At first there was nothing and then Combs and Queen Creek High School, requests started coming in.”
While Woods, who works at the Mountain View Funeral Home, doesn’t have a background in public speaking she feels that students have really connected with her message.
“The response that I’ve gotten from the students has just been phenomenal,” she enthused. “Everything from hugs to notes saying we’re so glad you shared your story with us.”
Woods explained that she starts her presentation by talking about how common red light running and texting while driving have become in our society then moves on to her video presentation without explaining her link to the images on the screen.
Her video includes pictures of her grandson before the accident, a similar car accident and then pictures of Shaun in a wheelchair watching other children play in the distance. Woods recalled the affect the video had on group of teens in the Pinal County Juvenile Court system she shared it with this summer.
“I was told that these kid do not usually behave or listen to speakers, but when the video finished you could hear a pin drop,” she said. “I was amazed at how they took to the story.”
After the video, Woods explains that Shaun is her grandson and that he will never walk again. “Then I ask if anyone has any questions, and we just sit and talk,” she said. “I give each of them a book mark and a piece of red yarn to remind them not to text and drive. I tell them that if they think they can text and drive to just remember my name.”
Woods is eager to continue giving her presentation to all that will listen, to contact her about scheduling a presentation email WoodsMrs@gmail.com.
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