BELL COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — It’s only been three days since a triple fatal car accident in Troy took the lives of minors who were not buckled up.
Now TxDOT is beginning their Click It or Ticket campaign, hoping you will buckle your seatbelt every time you get in the car.
This Memorial Day three family members, 17-year-old Landon Kinsey, 18-year-old Kiersten Kinsey, and a 5-year-old little boy named Bentley Swain were killed in a rollover crash in Troy.
None of them were wearing seatbelts.
Bell County
GoFundMe created for family after they lost 3 children in vehicle rollover
Dr. Anthony Cahill with Baylor Scott & White said, "Recently our community has suffered the heartbreaking loss of minors.”
Doreen Palestrant knows the heartbreak all too well.
These are pictures of her son David who was killed in a rollover crash on November 4th, 2021.
She said, “It rolled six times, and my son was ejected from the car.”
He was in a pick-up truck and wasn't wearing his seatbelt. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Palestrant said, “We didn’t see him go to prom, graduate, start a family. I won’t get to dance with my son at his wedding all because he made the choice of not buckling up.”
Palestrant is speaking out to encourage everyone to buckle up every single time for this year’s TxDOT Click It or Ticket campaign.
During this campaign, TxDOT will be pulling people over and giving out tickets for not wearing your seatbelt and those citations can cost $200.
Palestrant said, “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of my son. If he had only buckled up that night.”
TxDOT said wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of death by up to 45 percent. It jumps to 60 percent in a pick-up truck.
Something Doreen Palestrant knows all too well, “If he were here, he would be encouraging everyone to buckle up. Every time. Front and back passengers.”
The community has come together for the three who were killed in Troy raising more than $20,000.
If you would like to donate, here’s a link to the GoFundMe.
