Student Texts Friend About ‘Need to Quit Texting’ Right before Driving Off Bridge

On January 24, 2012, Chance Bothe was texting a friend while driving home from college. “I need to quit texting because I could die in a car accident and then how would you feel …,” he typed, according to a KHOU-TV report on August 1, 2012. The 21-year-old’s final text was “b right there” before his pickup truck veered off a bridge and plunged 35 feet into a ravine.

KHOU said Bothe’s injuries included a broken neck, a punctured lung, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), compound leg fractures, a fractured skull, sternum and rib fractures, as well as a fractured face that would require extensive reconstruction.

“I said, ‘Call the funeral home. He’ll never make it,’” Chance’s father, Bobby, told KHOU about his reaction to learning of his son’s extensive injuries. “We lost him three times. They brought him back. He coded three times.”

Like Florida, Texas is one of the 11 remaining states that does not ban texting while driving. Chance told KHOU that he will be spreading the message about the dangers of “driving while intexticated” for the rest of his life. “What people have told me is the reason God didn’t keep you away from this Earth is because you have something special to do,” Chance told KHOU. “And I believe what is special is that I should tell everyone not to text message and drive.”

Distracted drivers can be held liable for injuries or fatalities they cause in car accidents, and you can find answers to other frequently asked questions about auto accidents on our website. Use the form located on this page or contact our firm at (800) 235-7060 to have our Orlando personal injury lawyers review your case if you or a loved one has been involved in an accident caused by a distracted driver.