Bill OBoyle: Listen to Eileen and don't drive distracted
Sep. 2—WILKES-BARRE — The message Eileen Woelkers Miller delivered on April 23, 2019, at the Greater Nanticoke Area High School will remain in my mind forever.
It was a message that was filled with emotion, compassion, even a bit of anger and the important thing about the message is that it was sent by a mother who lost a child and it was a message that was received by hundreds of children who learned how tragedy can strike in an instant.
My friend Eileen repeated her passionate plea again this week — doing all she can to convince people of all ages — especially students — that distracted driving can and will kill.
In 2010, Eileen's son, Paul Miller Jr., 21, was killed on Route 33 in Hamilton Township, when a southbound tractor-trailer crossed the center grass divider and traveled head-on into his car.
At the time of the crash, the tractor trailer was being operated by a distracted driver — the man would later say he was reaching for his cell phone.
Paul Miller's mom told the 9th through 12th grade students at Greater Nanticoke Area that she and her family know all too well the dangers distracted driving can cause. Her son died from the injuries he suffered as a result of the crash.
Eileen told the students this:
"On July 5, 2010, in one second, our lives were tragically changed forever because of something so preventable. Our handsome, beautiful son Paul Miller Jr., lost his life to a distracted driver. Life is full of choices — what will your choice be?"
If Miller's emotional presentation weren't enough to convince the students — who were preparing for their prom — to not text and drive, the graphic pictures she showed had to have an impact.
Miller showed pictures of the accident scene — her son's mangled car — and she told the students that when she went to the morgue to identify her son's body, she couldn't.
That was the most emotional moment of the presentation. Imagine having to go to a morgue, unzip a body bag and look inside, only to see the unrecognizable remains of your child?
Miller said the driver of the truck was charged and sentenced to three years in prison, serving 17 months.
"These tragedies are preventable," Miller said. "They are crashes, not accidents."
Eileen has spoken to many area high schools on this topic. Se has advocated for legislation to hopefully deter/prevent distracted driving.
"It's important for everyone to arrive alive and come home safe," Eileen said this week. "We just want them to get from point A to point B safely. People are choosing bad behavior behind the wheel, and we want them to change those behaviors."
The Labor Day weekend marks the end of the "100 deadliest days of summer," the title given to the time period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, in which fatal crashes are more likely to happen.
Eileen said, "Normally, that's when the crashes occur — you know, the DUI's, the drunk driving, people on their phones. It doesn't mean that it's going to stop, but that's the high peak of the summer when everyone's out."
Look at the graphic pictures attached to this column. Look at the photos of a real tragedy. The pictures are graphic, the statistics are frightening and Eileen's words are sobering.
This weekend, Pennsylvania State Police confirmed that there will be an increase in patrol vehicles in an effort to keep motorists safe.
"During holiday weekends like Labor Day weekend, we do anticipate a higher level of traffic on the roads and a lot more crashes, so we'll be doing more enforcement to try and keep everyone safe," said Trooper Bill Evans.
"We're going to be out there being proactive as we always are on holiday weekends because we always tell people we'd rather be out there writing tickets and preventing crashes than responding to them."
According to PennDOT data, in 2022 there were 1,214 crashes resulting in 17 fatalities and 817 injuries statewide over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Of those, 114 crashes resulting in six fatalities and 90 injuries were alcohol-related and 27 crashes resulting in two fatalities and 20 injuries were drug-related.
Eileen's message must continue to be told and it must be received and followed — don't drive distracted.
It really can be a matter of life or death..
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
