Police: Pa. Teen Killed in Crash While Texting

Nov. 03--Texting while driving could turn lethal or illegal, but that doesn't mean teens will stop doing it, said youths gathered on Wednesday for a driving safety conference.

Not even the death of a Butler County teenager texting behind the wheel could change many minds.

"I always text," said Rachel Sabatini, 17, of Fredericktown. "You don't want people to think you're ignoring them."

State police said Knoch High School senior Alexis Summers, 17, of Jefferson Township was typing a text when she lost control of her 2003 Subaru Legacy late Tuesday and hit a tree on Hannahstown Road in Jefferson Township. Her death occurred hours after the state Senate moved to make texting while driving illegal.

Summers, who had left a friend's house, was about two miles from home when she crashed and died.

"This is our family's second loss," said her grandfather, Dick Madison, who joined a dozen friends and relatives who gathered beneath the tree yesterday afternoon. "We lost Alexis' younger brother when he was 2."

"She always lit up the room when she entered," said her uncle, Dave Grupp.

Friends brought bouquets of red, yellow and orange flowers to the spot. Several went to their knees in the grass and leaves and prayed near the flowers and a gold and blue "spirit stick" that Summers' fellow cheerleaders placed in a branch.

"She was always caring and kind," said Zack Koller, 17, of Jefferson Township. "She looked after others at school."

"She was the biggest sweetheart," said Abby Beck, 17, who lives in Butler but attends classes at Knoch. "You couldn't meet a nicer person. There wasn't a mean bone in her body."

"It is a tragedy," state police Lt. Eric Hermick said. "Our hearts go out to her family and friends, but we also hope it sends a clear message that it is a reality that this could happen."

In addition to texting, police said speed was a factor in the crash. Hermick would not say what the text said or who the intended recipient was.

Texting is second nature for some teens, and getting them to put the phone down while driving is challenging, police and educators said.

"It's part of their being," said Trooper Robin Mungo. "They might be quick at it, but they still become distracted drivers when they take their eyes off the road."

About 200 students attended AAA's Youth Traffic Safety Conference at California University of Pennsylvania. Conference organizers focused on distracted-driving issues.

Sabatini said she has sent more than 4,500 texts since Oct. 23. Her classmate at Bethlehem Center High School, Anna Ratica, 18, said she has texted while driving, even though her sister totaled her car while texting.

"If my parents see me, they yell at me," Ratica said.

The lure of a text message can be impossible to ignore, said classmate Bryanna Whitlow, 17.

"If you see your phone light up, you grab it," she said. "You don't think it's going to happen until it happens because you trust yourself."

Kaleb Williams, 17, of Jefferson Borough in Greene County, said he pulls over if he has to respond to a text while driving, but otherwise won't do it.

"I don't want to wreck," Williams said. "It's just not smart. It's not worth it."

On Tuesday, the state Senate voted to make texting while driving illegal, sending Gov. Tom Corbett a bill making it a primary offense punishable by a $50 fine. Legislative leaders expect him to sign it.

The law might stop some people, but not all, said Mackenzie Janda, 17, of Finleyville.

"People are going to try not to get caught," she said. "If they get a fine, it will stop some people because they won't want to pay. But some people are stubborn."

State Sen. Don White, whose district includes Jefferson Township, joined four other senators in voting against the texting-while-driving ban. He called it a "silent protest" because he doesn't agree with making it a primary offense when not wearing a seat belt is not a primary offense.

White's son died in car crash in 1998 and was not wearing a seat belt.

"I have a pretty good idea what the parents are going through," White said. "It's just so sad. She could've waited just a couple minutes longer or pulled off the road. That's what's so tragic about it.

"If (my son) had just taken two seconds, he would've been 31 years old now. I've lived with it for 13 years. And I think about it every day."

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