Pamela Palmer grieves for her two daughters, Kevinnesha and Raven. The girls were killed with Geoff, Christy and Rebekah Hart on Sunday, June 22, 2008 during a tragic car accident allegedly caused by David Calhoun Jones in Plano.

News stories report that Pamela Palmer was seeking to be reunited with her two daughters after they had been placed in foster care with the Hart family in March. Ms. Palmer says the Hart family had been very kind to her daughters.  

Plano police are currently investigating the matter to determine whether charges will be filed against David Calhoun Jones of Louisiana. New stories report that Mr. Jones was driving at a high speed while running a red light at the Legacy Drive and Custer Road intersection. Allegedly his rental vehicle struck a fire hydrant before hitting the Hart’s minivan.  

According to the CDC, injury deaths related to motor vehicles are the leading cause of death in children between the ages of one and nine years old. Alcohol is a factor in approximately 23% of the cases. According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 2 – 14 years of age is motor vehicle accidents (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810803.PDF). Children make up approximately 5% of the accident fatalities. Approximately 6 children are killed and 700 children are injured every day in car crashes.  

Accidents are more likely to occur close to home because drivers are familiar with their environments and feel comfortable enough to allow distractions while driving, such as talking on the phone, adjusting the radio, looking in the mirror or looking through a purse rather than paying attention to traffic. Don’t let your mind get distracted. While driving, anticipate how other drivers may make mistakes and give your self the room to avoid a collision when they do make those errors. You never know what frame of mind the other driver is in while you are sharing the road. Be very cautious at intersections. Eighty percent of injurious or fatal accidents on the road occur at intersections. And the risk of an accident is greatest within four seconds of a light change. If you are at a stop light, confirm that drivers appear to be braking for their red light before you accelerate into the intersection.