Texting Driver Texts ‘Ha Ha’ Right Before Running A Teen Over

A texting driver wrote “ha ha” just moments before mowing down 18-year-old Keri Houston on the side of the road. The young woman’s injuries were so bad that she almost lost a limb.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, another texting driver texted out how “happy” she was only seconds before dying in a car accident. Another texting driver told cops she “just don’t care” about nearly paralyzing a cyclist she hit while driving distracted and was more upset by the thought of losing her license for a long time.

Because of incidents like these, one man drove his daily commute to work with a cell phone jammer installed inside his vehicle. The man felt he was doing good by preventing talking, texting, and driving on the road, but when police caught up with him, he was fined $48,000.

It was January of 2012 when Utah mom Paula Houston had every parent’s nightmare:

“We got a call and they told us that our daughter had been in an accident. We found out she was injured by a man that was texting and driving.”

Keri had parked her own car on the side of the road and was exiting the vehicle when a texting driver struck her head on:

“I went to get out, and he sideswiped me and almost severed my leg in two places and broke it in six places. It’s amazing that I still have it…. His last text was, ‘ha ha’ when he hit me…. It’s not worth losing your life or someone else’s life over a text.”

Back in May, the state of Utah implemented a new cell phone law that is intended to prevent future accidents like this. Utah Highway Patrol official Sgt. Todd Royce says police are cracking down on texting and driving:

“We’re hoping to see people change their habits now, and the reason why is it costs people lives and injury and money. We’re seeing people who haven’t quite changed their habits, and we’re taking strict enforcement on that.”

Due to the horrific car accident, Keri Houston spent three months in the hospital while doctors worked hard to save her leg from having to be amputated. The 28-year-old texting drive did not have car insurance or even a driver’s license but was sentenced to only one year in jail. But Keri will have to live the rest of her life with the physical and emotional pain caused by texting and driving.