Upcoming Events

September 21 -
Victim\'s Impact Panel
September 24 -
Community Partners Meeting

Adult and Youth surveys to establish Youth's Retail and Social Access to Alcohol
For Youth
For Adults

Christina's Story

When you sit down to write a story like this, its hard to know just where to begin, so others will gain some understanding of what you feel and how you hurt. I want to be able to make some kind of an impact on another person's life. I want others to see that the choices we make don't just affect us as an individual but many of those around us, right or wrong, good or bad. This is about young people who made a bad decision, thinking no one will know, it's my life anyway. But this decision affected their families, friends, and an entire community.

This story is about my daughter Christina. I know as parents we all think our children are great. She was not perfect, I can assure you of that. But she was bright, beautiful and full of life, with a bubbly personality and a contagious laugh and smile that made you feel good to be around her. She always tried to see the good in people, sometimes to a fault .She had plans of going to Aquinas College to become a nurse. Her dream was to work with children at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. A lot happened in her high school life: boyfriends, break-ups, playing basketball, softball, getting cut from the softball team, a brain tumor with surgery the spring of her junior year college classes and plans for college. Just a few days before the accident she and some of her friends made a homemade slip and slide down our front yard and they had a blast.

On May 16, 2006 the excitement of graduation filled our home, with plans for parties and a trip to Myrtle Beach. Life was good. Christina ran some errands for us before heading to school for her economics/government exam, then went to Knox Doss Middle School for her last day at her senior project. She spoke with a friend and a teacher there as she was leaving at 1:30 pm. She met up with BJ Huffman and another young man around 2 pm (It is our understanding that BJ and the other young man had been drinking together that day). They went to pick up another friend and Christina let BJ drive her car ( even though we had told her a thousand times to not let anyone else drive it). After they picked up the other friend they had to make a couple of stops near Beech High School so the young man in the back could throw up. According to a witness, BJ thought that it was funny and began to drive very fast and reckless on the curvy part of Center Point Road trying to make him throw up again. The passengers in the car were yelling at him to slow down and to stop. But as they rounded a left corner turn in the wrong lane, they saw a school bus coming toward them in the straightaway. BJ was able to get the car over in the correct lane but the car went off the shoulder of the road by a tire's width. When he brought the car back onto the road, he over corrected sending the car into a slow-motion spin. The car was hit on the passengers side by the front of the bus, which had come to a stop. It is estimated that the car was going between 74-79 mph upon impact. The impact killed Christina who was in the front passenger's seat and the young man that was sitting behind her on the passenger's side. The young lady that was in the back seat was injured but has made a full recovery. BJ, who was driving, had to be revived 4 times before getting to the hosp ital. He suffered global brain damage and neck and back fractures, among other things.

During this time my last contact with Christina was at 2 pm by text message about how she did on her exam. I tried to call her around 2:30 - 2:45 and did not get an answer so I left her a message to call. Her dad was very ill so she always called back within 10 - 15 minutes. I began to worry when 45 minutes had passed and we had received no word from her, so I called again several times with no answer. By this time that motherly instinct of knowing something was very wrong had fully kicked in. So I called her best friend Lauren Walker who began to make calls to other friends. She called me back in just a few minutes to say that one of their friends had just heard a report on the TV about a bad car wreck on Center Point Road involving at least 2 fatalities. One of the victims was wearing a blue White House school jacket but the car had a Station Camp parking permit. My heart sank when I thought that it might be my daughter. Earlier I had heard Richard Thomas (a local traffic reporter) on the radio talk about a wreck on Center Point Rd in Hendersonville involving fatalities. But at the time I had no idea it was my baby who was involved in that wreck. Soon I was home and began to make phone calls to the different police departments, I thought might be involved. Finally I was told that the Tenn. Hwy Patrol was handling it. When I called the THP I was on hold a long time, so I took the opportunity to use my cell phone to call the Vanderbilt Emergency room where I had heard the injured were life-flighted. But, Christina was not there. The THP came back on the phone to tell me to go to Sumner Regional Hospital in Gallatin and speak to a Sgt. Vaughn. My heart was pounding and felt like it was going a 100 mph. My head was swimming with thoughts; none of them good. You see, there were much closer hospitals and going to Sumner Regional was going in the w rong direction. My husband and I jumped in the car with Christina's friends, Lauren and Melissa, following behind us. While driving there (like a crazy person I might add) my husband and I were praying. Our heads were telling us that things were very bad but my heart was trying to keep the hope that everything was going to be okay. While on the way Lauren called her mom to tell her what was going on and since, they live much closer to Gallatin than we, she was able to get there ahead of us and see what was going on.

Shawn ( Lauren's mom) arrived a few minutes before us and was able to go into the emergency room and ask about anyone who recently came in from the car wreck on Center Point Road. They told her that they had not had anything like that all day. By this time we were pulling into the parking lot and saw the Tenn. Hwy Patrol car. We were all standing together as the officer came to us and began to explain that Christina had been killed in the wreck and that she did not suffer. To hear that was like someone had reached inside of me, pulled out my heart and stomped on it. It was like a piece of my soul was taken. There was an emptiness and a pain in my chest that is difficult to explain. He took us over a couple of blocks to the Sumner County Morgue so we could identify her. She was lying there with such a peaceful look on her face that it was hard to believe it was our baby girl lying there. No longer would we hear her laughter fill the room, tease her or hold her, nor would we even be able to argue with her any more. Many questions were running through our minds, all beginning with the word "why". But, being strong Christians we knew God was in control and that he had a plan. He brings good out of bad, so we knew that some how this would bring him glory.

We left the building to be with our friends and family that were waiting for us outside. Many came to console us and each other. There was a tremendous pouring out of love and support during this time. We were no longer planning a graduation party but a funeral, which was especially difficult when it was graduation week and was supposed to be full of happiness and joy. Christina's second family, the Walkers, took our son John who was 14 at the time under there wings as well as many of Christina's other friends. On graduation night our son John walked across the stage and accepted Christina's diploma. That was very difficult for John, Christina was not only his sister but his best friend. My husband who was a minister performed the funeral service. He said he had always planned to perform her wedding and since he couldn't do that he would do her funeral. And he did a great job. It took a lot of guts for him to do that.

At the beginning of this story, I spoke about how the choices we make affect not only ourselves but others. On May 16, 2006 lives were forever changed. The school bus driver who was just going about her daily job and in a moment's time found her life forever changed. Fortunately the bus driver was not injured, but she had to watch as the wreck took place and she was unable to do anything and was a part of 2 lives being taken that day. In the last seconds of Christina's life she and the bus driver locked eyes. And I know she saw Jesus in those eyes. The driver is a good Christian woman and when they locked eyes she said there was no fear in Christina's eyes.

Earlier I mentioned that my husband was in bad health. Though he had come to peace about the wreck, losing his little girl took the last bit of fight from him. He passed away 2 months later. Our son not only lost his sister but soon lost his father. He tries really hard but struggles at times. He misses the relationship he had with them. And he hurts when important events happen in his life and they are not here to share in it.

Her friends were affected. For some of them their struggle in losing someone so very close, affected the plans they had made. Lauren's situation is just one example. Lauren, had received a Congressional Appointment to the United States Air Force Academy, a dream she had pursed for years. Christina had been a driving force behind her, helping her anyway she could. Christina would go the track with Lauren while she trained for her Physical Assessment for the Academy. They took college classes together and helped each other study. Christina was excited about Lauren's accomplishment. She was with her the afternoon they told friends and family. She also planned to go with the family in September to Parent's Weekend at the Academy in Colorado Springs to see Lauren. She told Lauren to find her a pilot husband! On June 28th, just five weeks after Christina's death, Lauren entered the Academy. Three weeks later she returned home. Several reasons played a part in her decision. Mainly, she still had not processed the death of her best friend in such a tragic manner and timing. She needed all of her emotional energy to give to the first two months at the Academy that they call "The Beast". She was emotionally drained. A dream that she had worked on for years to achieve, died along with her friend that day. Even though Lauren is a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Alabama and Air Force ROTC Cadet, she still misses her friend every day. She purchased a star in the sky that was named for Christina so she would have a legacy. Lauren and her family continue to grieve the lost of their "adopted" daughter, and use her story to help others whenever possible.

Stephanie another friend, puts it this way: "Christina Keaton was the best friend I ever had. We did everything together. When she died I felt as if I lost part of me. Every time I heard a song we used to listen to or saw a picture of her, I would cry. If something happened I would call her cell then realize that she could not answer. It took several months to get over the grieving period. When you lose someone as special and close you never get over their death. I never stop thinking about her. I even named my son after her. She will always be my best friend no matter what." I would say that many of her close friends would say that Stephanie's comments express their feelings too.

Someone who was most deeply and tragically affected was BJ. I did not know BJ who was driving the car, at the time of the wreck. My husband made a statement one day that BJ did not plan for this to happen. He didn't wake up that day and say "I think that I'll drive recklessly and kill some friends". So, I got to thinking about that and decided to contact BJ's grandmother (with whom he lived). I realized she knew everyone in the car and I knew she had to be upset about what had happened and was worrying about her grandson, not knowing whether he was going to make it. We began to talk every couple of weeks and she would update me on BJ's condition. Once he was stable and had the trachea removed I went to meet him. ! We talked for awhile, though his speech was affected from the brain damage. He told me that he had an afterlife experience and God had told him that he was not done with him yet, that he had work for him to do. Some of you will believe this, some of you will not. That is up to you. It is a miracle that BJ is living today. The person BJ was before was not a good person: trouble with the law, reckless driving, DUI's, fights. He had an "I don't care" attitude. But that BJ died in the wreck and a new one was born. He has a lot of physical and medical problems due to the wreck. Currently he is only able to get around in a wheelchair. He is in prison serving 30% of a 20 year sentence he received in August 2007. But God is working through him in prison and he gives all the glory to God. God has a great plan and is using something bad to save and change lives for him.

As for me, I have learned to take one day at a time, not get upset over the little things that really don't matter and cherish my time with loved ones. I am using this story to try and impact the lives of young people. I have gotten involved with the Sumner County anti-drug coalition. Some of you will think I'm a God freak and some will think I'm stupid for becoming friends with the person who was driving the car that killed my daughter. But do not judge me until you walk in my shoes. You hear about things like this in the news and in the papers and you feel sorry for the families and in the back of your mind you wonder how you would handle something like this. But you never know how you will handle it until it happens to you. God and I drew closer through this and He has given me complete ! peace. That's what is important.