Reading an 11-year-old’s obituary is nearly impossible.

“Lilyana was a beacon of sunshine who only wanted to help others. Lily was the heartbeat of the family. The void left by her tragic passing will never be filled. We find comfort in Lilyana's legacy living on through organ donations to continue on her giving spirit.”

That’s the paragraph that stops you. That guts you. Because those words in that configuration — punctuated by the fact that Lily will live on through organ donation —shouldn’t exist.

You read it once. Then again. Because your brain is trying to reconcile something it can’t: a child reduced to past tense. Not because of a tragic disease or something out of anyone’s control.

But because of someone else’s choice.

Some victims of distracted driving survive. They carry physical and emotional scars for the rest of their lives.

Others carry questions.

“Why did I look down?” “Why did I check that text?” “Why did I think it couldn’t wait?”

And they are the lucky ones. They are still alive.

For Lilyana, there is no second chance, no more questions. No first high school dance. No college degree. No other firsts to excitedly collect. The driver accused of blowing through a stop sign at 63 mph while looking at his phone robbed the Minnesota preteen of the rest of her life.

Qiara was a 26-year-old mother of four. She died in a fiery St. Paul crash because someone chose fast food over focus behind the wheel. She won’t watch her children grow up and have their own firsts.

Shane “was always willing to lend a helping hand, no matter what the task — never shying away from hard work and no project was too big.”

The 48-year-old was rear-ended in Cottage Grove by a semitruck driver looking at a map instead of the road. Shane was a skilled carpenter, a dog lover and a chocolate milk enthusiast. His loved ones noted in his obituary that he will be “sorrowfully missed.”

Lilyana, Qiara and Shane are three of the 21 people who died in distracted-driving-related crashes in 2025 in Minnesota. Hundreds of officers across the state are asking motorists this April, which is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, to pay attention and prevent the tragic crashes that happen each day.

The numbers are staggering. Between 2020 and 2026 in Minnesota, there have been:

• More than 33,000 distracted driving crashes
• 888 serious injuries
• 162 lives lost

Distracted driving is a choice. The crashes? Completely preventable.

Those left grieving after distracted-driving-related crashes are forever shaped by a moment that never should have happened.

Lilyana, Qiara and Shane died because someone made a choice.

Every time you get behind the wheel, you make one too.

Put the phone down. Pay attention. Drive smart.

Visit HandsFreeMN.org and DriveSmartMN.org for more information.