Jessica Babb | Broadcast Managing Editor

In an car accident she never saw coming, Austin sophomore Savannah Crain fell victim to distracted driving.

On August 7, Crain was coming from a trip with her boyfriend when a distracted driver in a vehicle on the other side of the road crossed over multiple lanes and slammed into their car.

Crain, asleep at the time of the accident, was then ejected from the vehicle. She suffered multiple fractures in her back, sternum, nose and toes.

Crain has been in and out of the hospital for weeks. She has had 16 procedures and two surgeries on her road to recovery.

However, this incident is not an isolated event. Based on data from TXDOT, 455 people were killed in distracted driving accidents in 2016 — a five percent decrease from 2015.

In McLennan County, there were 1,159 crashes caused by distracted driving last year. And within this timeframe, two people died and hundreds were injured.

“You don’t even realize how far you travel when you look at a phone. You just need to think about what you are doing before you even pick it up,” Crain said. “I would just say put your phone down, put it away, leave it in your purse or bag.”

Crain said she is now working with the Department of Public Safety in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.