#Imatter

"On Wednesday, June 24, 2020, Jhanae “Pretty” Ingraham was headed home to visit her family before going to her one month long internship in Pennsylvania however she was killed in a car accident in Sarasota, FL. while a passenger in her boyfriend’s car at the young age of 22. While sitting in traffic on I-75 exit 232 (Sarasota), a careless driver of an 18-wheel truck struck the car Jhanae was riding in, along with 9 other cars. The chain event caused the car Jhanae was sitting in to turn directly into the oncoming truck and she was hit while the truck was going 68 mph carrying 70,000 lbs. of cargo.  She never had a chance to survive. She was not the only fatality in this accident, but she and her boyfriend were the youngest victims of this truck driver negligence. Her boyfriend survived with severe injuries and is expected to make a full recovery. "

We remember you, Jhanae. You Matter. 

visit https://www.jhanaesunflowerfoundation.com/ to learn more about Jhanae and the Jhanae Sunflower Foundation, which provides outreach, community service, and mentorship geared towards youth and adolescents in South Florida. 

Jennifer was killed on October 1st, 2017 by a hit and run driver while on vacation in Orlando with her husband. Further investigation showed that the driver was also drunk at the time of the crash. Jennifer served in the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan as a forensic lab specialist, where she received many accolades and praises for her work. We remember you, Jennifer. You matter.

In the year since her death, Jennifer’s mother, Diane Rickard has written and published a children’s book called The Purple Bumble Bee Mystery dedicated to Jennifer and her love of reading. Diane is giving proceeds from book sales back to organizations that raise awareness about drunk and impaired driving. Her goal is to one day eliminate these 100% preventable tragedies from happening to other families. Thank you Diane, for your bravery and strength in sharing your journey with us. Know that Jennifer is always with you, and her legacy is making a difference. You can purchase The Purple Bumble Bee Mystery here to help support Diane’s mission and help her raise awareness. 

Emily Cook was killed by a drunk driver at 15 years old. Her mother Mary Kelley shared her story, and how Emily's legacy inspired her to create the organization 15 For Life to fight against drunk driving. Here are Mary's words about her daughter: 

"This is my Beautiful daughter's story. Emily Elizabeth Cook. Gainesville, Florida. Crash occurred on December 13, 2014 Emily Cook was a Freshman at Gainesville High School As a weight lifter in her high school. She had an amazing sportsmanship to support her team. As a 15 year old, Emily was a very vibrant young lady who lived life to the fullest. Her charisma and charm along with amazing beautiful smile brought happiness to everyone she met. There was nothing Emily wouldn't do for her family and friends. When you met Emily, you became her friend for life. She always had a way to make people feel important. On December 13, 2014 Emily got into a vehicle with an adult who had been drinking. Her life was taken instantly. The driver was later found to be two times over the legal alcohol level to be driving. The driver was later convicted of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years prison time and ten years’ probation time. Ever since that night, life has never been the same. The driver imposed a death sentence on Emily and a life sentence on Emily’s friends and family. Every day brings a constant reminder that our family is broken. Day after day we are forced to feel this void that we must live with, a void that was forced upon us- a void that can never be filled. Emily is the youngest of our children, the last child living at home. We now know the true meaning “Silence is deafening”. The loss of Emily has been so devastating not only to her siblings but her nieces and nephews who are so young. We pray the will always remember their Aunt Emily who loved and adored them. An Author once wrote this poem: ”Life is not always nice to us. People take too many things for granted. Not very many people think if I do this will it affect others. Nowadays everyone just thinks about themselves. It makes me feel and look at life differently. I think of life like a blessing. When you lose a lot in your life including love ones you think a lot differently. You process everything before you do them. I just hope that everyone started to figure out what life really is, it is not anything to just say oh I will die one day and when it happens it happens. People have different looks on things than other people. Some people think you only live life once. That is true, but you have to live it right.” That Author was Emily Elizabeth Cook, written by her in the eighth grade, just 6 months before her death. 

We have created an organization 15 For Life to fight against drinking and driving. We will continue to educate our youth on the dangers of drinking and driving. OUR YOUTH CAN CHANGE THE WORLD."

 Emylee Anglen was only 20 years old when she was killed by a drunk driver in 2017. This is what Dida Storey had to say about her beautiful cousin Emylee, and the light she leaves behind for her family and friends. We remember you Emylee. You matter. 

"Emylee Sue Anglen was born July 25, 1997. Her parents are Dawn and Chad Anglen. Emylee was killed by a drunk driver on November 22, 2017. The drunk driver hit Emylee head on and his BAC level was .29, 3 times the legal limit. Emylee was driving to see her boyfriend. Emylee left behind her two loving sisters Alyson and Abygale along with countless family and friends. Emylee had a sweet, gentle spirit. She loved her family and friends deeply. She worked with people who needed help with everyday challenges and developed close relationships with her clients. Her compassion and empathy were two of her strongest traits. She was always ready for an adventure, loved the outdoors, and embraced life. She will be deeply missed. Emylee, such a beautiful person inside and out, full of life, loved people, would do anything for anyone, always had a smile and that throw her head back laugh that always put a smile on your face." 

 Officer Campbell dedicated many years of his career to DUI prevention and accountability. He currently works in the Apopka Police Department. In his testimony, Officer Campbell speaks about the decision that changed his life, and drove him to pursue his career in law enforcement. We are very grateful to know Officer Campbell personally, and his passion to help his community is absolutely inspiring. Thank you for sharing your story. 

"Imagine that you are 11 years old and sitting in a 6th grade classroom. Out of nowhere, over the loud speaker, your name is called by the office to go home early. You get to the office, see your grandmother, and then go sit down in the car where you are told your mother had been involved in a traffic crash. Not understanding the full seriousness of the situation, because you have been in minor crashes and no one got hurt, you are then taken home to wait for your older sister to get home from high school. Once she gets home, you walk out into the garage, where you find her crying over the same news you had just been given. Now the seriousness starts to sink in. In August of 1998, this imagination was my reality. I was then driven to Tampa General Hospital, where I saw my mother laying on a hospital bed, bleeding from all over her body. As I got older, I found out about the facts of her crash that could have been completely avoided had one person made a different decision.
As it turns out, a man, who had spent the morning fishing, drinking alcohol and doing drugs, was driving home in such a horrific manner that it convicted the person traveling behind him to call 911 to report his actions. This man failed to stay within his lane, driving off the roadway and taking out mailboxes. Just as the caller told the 911 dispatcher that this man needed to be stopped before he killed someone, the caller watched as his truck and boat trailer ran a red light directly in the path of my mother. My mother’s car t-boned the truck, forcing the boat trailer to swing around, sandwiching her vehicle between the truck and trailer. My mother’s vehicle was then flipped over and began spinning on its side, with the force of the momentum ejecting her from her belted position inside the car to laying on the roadway during a hot Florida Summer day. She was then airlifted to the hospital and underwent surgery. Fortunately, my mother survived this impaired driving crash, but her life has forever been changed and her health has not been the same since. Fast forward nine years, I began my career in law enforcement. During my 10 year career, I specialized in DUI enforcement to protect the roadways from impaired drivers. It was my hope and goal to catch impaired drivers before a crash could happen, for their safety and the safety of everyone else on the roadway. Though, I am not personally a victim of impaired driving, I just never want another family experience the same, constant pain that my family did, and continues to, based on the decision of one man to drive while under the influence of alcohol and drugs."