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Mom's Story

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 we were looking forward to some much needed rain.  It had been a very dry summer.  In fact we had been in a drought for a couple of years.  Brittaney had gone to Madison County to have dinner with Jake, her other half, and his grandparents.  As Jake works third shift, it was a little after 10 pm when she started home. 

I (Mom) had a habit of checking in with Britt every night starting around 10 pm.  Britt had a very busy personal calendar and work schedule.  We were very proud of all the organizations Britt was involved in but, it also made it hard to keep track of where she was.  So, at 10:03 pm I left my first message, “Britt its time to check in”.  I usually left those about every 15 minutes or so until she called.  It wasn’t uncommon for Britt to be at work till 11 pm or later.  It also wasn’t unusual for her to be sitting in a parking lot counseling some other teen.  She was at her best when someone else had a crisis.  I vividly remember thinking she was at Jakes and I wished she would get away from those horrible roads before the rain started coming down in earnest.

I had no obvious reason to be antsy, but I was…

So, on a rural road in a misty rain, Brittaney Ann lost control of her truck.  She was going a little too fast on a corner that was a little too sharp.  Being 17 years old and immortal, Brittaney was not wearing her seatbelt.  She wasn’t doing anything any other semi-new driver hasn’t done a million times.  She had no alcohol or drugs in her system.  Britt simply went a little too far to the side and overcorrected.  Of course overcorrecting is something that most all of us have done.  Britt paid the ultimate price.

At 10:53 pm the phone rang.  When I saw it wasn’t a number I recognized, I knew.  Jakes best friend was the first on the scene.  Jakes mom had been the second person on the scene.  Jake was the fourth.  So from 10:14pm when she was found in the middle of the oncoming lane of traffic, Jake and his family and friends held a blanket over her while the first responders worked on her.  I will be forever grateful for all they did and for staying with her when we couldn’t be there.  As soon as the 911 operator hung up and Jake could remember how to get hold of us, his mom called.  Jake was very obviously in shock. 

The ambulance came and loaded her for transport.  They worked on her all the way to the hospital.  They arrived at the hospital around 11:35 pm.  We were there about 11:10 pm after dropping her sisters off at grandpas.  Of course, we had no information at all except that she was alive and it was bad. 

The hospital staff did all they could.  All tests came back fine-except the brain scans.  (It would be a couple of days before we found out just how far she had been thrown-almost 200 feet.)  Her brain was just too damaged to be saved.  They pronounced her dead at 1:31 am.  Her sisters got there just after we were told she was going to go. 

In typical Brittaney fashion, she had no scratches or abrasions.  There was not a mark on her beautiful face.  She was going to heaven with all of her pearly white teeth and fingernails intact….The things you think of…

The next 48 hours are really a great big blur.  I know we donated Britt’s organs- it’s what she wanted.  We had a closed casket because she would have been very angry if we let someone see her that swollen.  I didn’t find out for months that she had told Jake weeks earlier that she wanted a closed casket when she died.  When you have siblings to consider, you just hold it together and figure it out later. 

The school personnel and students were so good to us.   I am not at all sure I would have made it without the support of her friends and teachers.  We had many friends on hand and my best friend Jennifer pretty much lived with me for a week. 

Over the next week we became very close to Jake and his mom, Julie.  I know I would never have made it without their support and I like to think they need us too. 

Dab (Britt’s dad) and I wanted to start a foundation to give out creative writing and poetry scholarships.  Britt was an avid writer and we wanted to honor her.  Jake wanted to start one for teen road safety.  None of us was entirely sure how to go about this or if it would work.  We got together one night and put our ideas in one basket so to speak. 

Jake will always be the son-in-law I never got to have.  I have become very close to Julie as well.  Britt will always be remembered by anyone who met her.  She was just that kid you couldn’t forget.  No matter what happens in the future with our organization she will forever impact the actions of all of us and all who met her.

Because Britt was so involved in so many things, we know this foundation has a real chance to make a great difference in the lives of all who hear our message.  Many of Britt’s friends have already made big changes in the way they drive.  We are also getting feedback from people we don’t know about our “Buckle Up For Brittaney” campaign.  We know of two lives so far we have directly made a difference in.  Both said they had never worn a seatbelt before and have now put it on for her only to get down the road and total their cars.  Both were unharmed.  Britt was with them.