It’s a warning we hear time and again: don’t use your phone while driving. And yet, so many of us still do. Whether it’s glancing at a message, changing a song, or checking directions, the temptation is always there.

I’ll admit it—I’ve done it too, more times than I care to admit. But after reading about what happened to 17-year-old Katelyn Ray, I’ve made a promise to myself: I will never drive with my phone within reach again.

Katelyn’s story is heartbreaking. And it serves as a painful reminder that a single moment of distraction can change—or end—a life forever.

“She still had the phone in her hand when they pulled her from the wreck.”

It was early in the morning on September 5, 2018, when Katelyn got behind the wheel. She was on her way to pick up her older sister from work—something her mom, Shelia, had asked her to do the night before.

No one could have imagined that it would be the last conversation they’d ever have.