Mother of Colorado teen killed in crash stresses importance of driving safely and wearing a seatbelt

More than 8,000 teen drivers have been involved in crashes in Colorado so far in 2024, according to new data from the Colorado Department of Transportation.

That's an average of about 23 crashes every day. In 2023 alone, there were 119 fatalities on Colorado roads involving drivers ages 20 and under. This is an increase of 59% over the last five years.

CDOT is bringing awareness to these tragedies by making Oct. 20 through Oct. 26 National Teen Driving Safety Week.

Christy Schultz's daughter Sammie was right around the corner from her Parker home when they missed their turn in December 2020. When turning the car around, they were hit by another vehicle.

Schultz said when the car Sammie was traveling in was hit, Sammie was ejected from the vehicle. She wasn't wearing her seatbelt. Sammie was then life-flighted to Children's Hospital Colorado. She was on life support for six days before they made the hard decision to unplug her. She was only 15 years old.

As the mother of a teen who was killed in a crash, Schultz is urging people to drive safely and wear seatbelts.

"As a parent who lost her daughter to a teen driving accident, it is heartbreaking," Schultz said. "Whether I lost my daughter or not, it would be. I know what each of those parents are feeling. It's just heartbreaking to hear that such a simple decision to make good choices while driving can change so many people's lives."

Now, Schultz has a nonprofit called Sammie's Sunshine. This organization helps families with kids who were involved in car crashes. In 2023, the organization helped 28 families and is involved in 14 schools.

For more information on Sammie's Sunshine, you can click here.