LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — For 15 years, Jackie Rowan has carried a deep pain she says no one else will ever fully understand.
That pain traces back to Feb. 25, 2008, when her 16-year-old daughter Erika died in a car crash.
“She just had a light that was just exquisite, she was gonna be big,” Rowan said. “In a second, in a heartbeat, she was gone.”
The heartache of her loss was worsened by Erika’s choice not to wear a seat belt.
Rowan said her daughter let another girl drive her car. The driver rolled the car and Erika died instantly.
Since the crash, Rowan has worked tirelessly to keep her daughter’s memory alive and spread awareness of the importance of wearing seat belts.
The Nebraska State Patrol the same message by participating in the nationwide Click It or Ticket campaign urging drivers to buckle up.
According to the NSP, the state's seat belt compliance rate sits at 76%. That is a 10-year low and is one of the nation's lowest rates.
Rowan said the second or two it takes to buckle up can be the difference between life and death, and the choice can leave a deep impact.
“If you don't want to wear it for yourself, do it for the people that love you,” Rowan said. “Really broken people are left behind.”
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