On April 8th at 5:55 am, in the state of Ohio, a man crashed into a stopped vehicle and was then ejected from the windshield and was pronounced dead on the scene. This man is Mark O'Roark, also known as my father. 

That day, I received a text from my dad's dad asking if I could call him when I got home from school. This came off as really strange to me because my grandfather never texted me. However, he was asking me to call him, so I immediately thought something happened to my Gram because she was in a nursing home at the time. Despite my concerns, he reassured me everyone was fine so I went on with my day. I had rehearsal for Legally Blonde, and after rehearsal I went home and I called my grandfather. He didn’t say much to me, he just asked if he could talk to my aunt, so I went to my aunt's room and gave her the phone. My grandfather then said one thing to my aunt that will haunt me forever: "This morning, Mark was in an accident." My grandfather had to say nothing else, because my aunt somehow already knew: my dad was dead. 

The moment I realized what was happening was probably the worst moment of my life. The energy in the room shifted, and it felt like the world stopped spinning. I felt this pain in my throat, the pain you get when you cry really hard. I felt the pain first, then the tears came. I was crying because I was just told my dad was dead, but it also didn't feel real. I thought I was just in a horrible nightmare and I would eventually wake up. I never did wake up. 

Once I was done talking to my aunt after I got the news, she told me I should call my grandfather back so I could talk to my little brother, Maverick. Maverick lives in Ohio, with my dad. Although I wanted to be a supportive sister, I did not want to talk to my little brother. I didn't think I was capable of holding myself together for him. My little brother loved my dad as much as any child could love their father. He worshipped the ground my dad walked on. I found it impossible to talk to him after he just lost the most important person to him. I did eventually find the strength to call him, and it was heartbreaking. My little brother and I didn't exactly get along, but at that moment any stupid fight we had did not matter. We just talked about our dad as much as we could. We talked about how sad my brother was, and about our favorite memories we had with  my dad. It was hard, but it was nice to talk to him. 

On that same call, I got the details of the crash. My dad was driving with his girlfriend in the car, and it was really early in the morning. He was driving through this intersection, but he crashed into a stopped vehicle, and then flew through the windshield. He was pronounced dead at the scene. However, my dad was not wearing a seatbelt, and neither was his girlfriend. His girlfriend was lucky enough to make it out alive, and my dad did not have that same luck. Although I don't know exactly why he crashed into the car, I can assume it was because he was distracted. He must have been on his phone. 

You may be wondering, "How do you know this?" I know this because in December 2024, I witnessed my dad's reckless behavior while behind the wheel. I went to visit him in Ohio over my winter break. However, I could never truly enjoy myself as I spent the whole trip terrified he would kill me every time he was behind the wheel. He would never wear his seatbelt, and he couldn't bring his eyes away from his phone. I pleaded with him, and begged him to stop texting and to just put his seatbelt on. Despite my concerns, he continued to take part in impaired driving. I had to hear the tick of the seatbelt sign that indicated someone wasn't wearing their seatbelt, while I clutched onto mine in fear. He made the choice to not put on his seatbelt, and he made the choice to text while driving. Those choices ended his life.

I hear about tragic crashes all of the time caused by impaired driving. However, I don't think I ever truly understood the impacts of impaired driving until impaired driving ended my father's life. My father's death will always be a constant reminder to be safe behind the wheel- when I do begin driving- and to urge others around me to stay safe as well. I know I will always wear my seatbelt when I enter a car, and I know my little brother will do the same. So will my Uncle Mike, my dad's brother. We can fully understand the importance of staying safe on the road, because we have personally faced the consequences of my dad not staying safe himself. Hopefully other people can realize and understand the consequences of impaired driving so they don't make mistakes that change their lives and the lives of those around them. I don't want anyone to make the same mistakes my dad did. Put the seatbelt on. Put the phone down. It takes two seconds to put your seatbelt on, and your phone can wait until you're not behind the wheel.  Your life is more important than texting and driving. Everyone needs to realize that before it's too late. I wish my dad realized it before his mistakes ended his life.