An Unbreakable Bond
An Unbreakable Bond
Some days it takes her 45 minutes to fit into her motorized chair. Sophia is paralyzed from the neck down.
On September 11, 2013, a motorcyclist set in motion a pile up that began with him rear-ending a bus on a dark road in Long Island, NY. The cyclist then took off on foot, leaving the bike on the road. This caused a chain reaction.
Sophia, driving with her teenage son, Chris, slowly approached the crash site. She noticed an empty parked car in her lane. As she attempted to go around it, another car slammed into the back of Sophia’s car. Thankfully, both Chris and Sophia were both wearing their seatbelt.
Sophia lost consciousness, but remembers yelling for Chris and then waking up in the hospital. Even in the face of her own life-changing injuries, Sophia was relieved when she learned Chris was ok.
A year after the crash, Chris was asked by the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Traffic Committee to speak as a “Saved by the belt survivor”, and kick off their Click It or Ticket border to border enforcement mobilization. Sophia saw her son speak as an auto safety advocate for the first time. She knew firsthand what inspired him to persuade people to wear their seatbelt.
Since graduating from high school earlier this year, Chris speaks to high schools across Long Island during teen driver safety events. He has been an advocate for auto safety since working with EAC (Education Assistance Corporation)and State Farm on a Celebrate My Drive teen driver safety event.
Before the crash, Sophia enjoyed cooking and scrapbooking. Now she enjoys spending time with her neighbors. Once a month they have dinner together, or as they call it, a “chat and chew”. She is supportive of Chris’ teen driver safety advocacy work.
No matter what happens in Sophia’s life, her only wish is that her son Chris is okay. He is. “I’m not done. He’s not done,” says Sophia. They have an unbreakable bond that helps them both to be A-Okay.
You have a bright future ahead so always use your seat belt on every trip, no matter what.
Make sure you tell everyone in your car to buckle up.