Oregon uses Richland woman’s tragic death as a warning about distracted driving

19-year old Alexxyss Therwhanger was driving in Long Creek in rural Eastern Oregon on February 19, 2016, when she lost control of her car, collided with an oncoming vehicle, and severely injured two other people. Therwhanger, a Richland resident who worked at Tri-Cities Residential Services, died in the accident. An Oregon State Police investigation found that Alexxys had been using her phone, reading and posting on facebook, when she she crashed.

Her mother, with the help of the Oregon Department of Transportation and OSP, is telling Alexxys's story.

"Alexxyss's family wanted to get her message out as soon as possible, even if it just saves one life," said Kelly Kapri, ODOT Distracted Driving Program manager. "This tragedy made a big impact on her friends and family in Hermiston and the Tri-Cities."

ODOT has received a grant that will help pay to put Alexxyss's wrecked car into a trailer for display across Oregon.

"Distracted driving doesn't just involve looking at a cell phone," Kapri said. "There's visual, which is looking at something other than driving; auditory, so you're not hearing cues you might otherwise hear; there's manual, which is manipulating something other than the wheel; and cognitive-- you're obviously going to be thinking about something when you engage in any of those three distractions."

ODOT and Oregon State Police are sharing Alexxyss's story as part of a broader effort to reduce distracted driving crashes, fatalities, and injuries in Oregon.