The parents of a popular 17-year-old who died on the first day of school are urging teen drivers to resist distracted driving after police confirmed Deianerah Logan was texting when she crashed into the back of a school bus.
Logan died on Sept. 4, shortly after the crash at 6732 County Road 5 Northwest, near Byron. It was the first and last day of her senior year.
Two students, ages 7 and 11, were on the bus at the time of the crash. Ethan Hinton, 7, was exiting the bus at the time of the crash, and was knocked down by the impact, but neither student was seriously injured.
"I got a terrible bruise, and she didn't make it," Hinton told FOX 9 News.
After learning the outcome of the investigation, Matt Logan and his wife told FOX 9 News they wanted to make sure their daughter's friends and classmates didn't learn about the official cause of the crash from rumors or Facebook. So, they told the student body themselves in the hopes that others will take the dangers of texting and driving seriously.
"It's a significant loss. D.J.'s life was taken way too early," said Olmsted County Sheriff David Mueller, while holding onto a purple bracelet made in D.J.'s memory. "The message we are sending today is: Just don't have anyone repeat this."
The Logans gathered all 155 seniors at Byron High School this morning to explain that texting was to blame for the crash and to hand out those purple bracelets in the hopes that they will serve as a reminder to put down the phone when on the road.
"It was a personal message from her parents to her classmates," said Byron School District Superintendent Jeff Elstad. "They were very upfront about the findings of the investigation, and shared a touching message about how they want to be proactive."
Logan's family issued the following statement about the crash investigation, describing the final report as "devastating" and making a plea to parents to teach their children about the dangers of distracted driving.
Seven weeks ago today, our daughter died in a tragic car accident. With the investigation of the accident now complete, you can imagine the details about our daughters untimely death is devastating to our family, her friends and to those that knew D.J. Her error in judgment as a teenager in this brief moment in time was paid for with the highest price ever -- her life. We would much rather be grounding her for this mistake than never hearing her laughter fill the house again.
Cell phones are a distraction for many while driving. As parents, we need to educate and live by example by limiting our phone use while in the car. Our beautiful D.J. was a good kid with good grades, great friends, a perfect driving record and loved life. She made a mistake, like all teenagers do, in the process of growing up. Except this time, there is no growing up. We can only pray that others can learn from her.
As the days keep passing, her 2013 graduating class, Byron students, and surrounding supportive communities, please remember D.J.'s life-changing lesson: Don't text and drive.
We cannot thank everyone enough for the unbelievable support that our family has received through this extremely difficult time.
Matt, Megan, Pierce, Chanelle and Javin Logan
The Logans told FOX 9 News they plan to become advocates to prevent texting and driving so other families can avoid experiencing a similar tragedy.
