Kailee - sitting in the back seat - was ejected from the vehicle after a car crash. Photo / Twitter
Kailee - sitting in the back seat - was ejected from the vehicle after a car crash. Photo / Twitter
A Texas teen, 16, was tragically killed in a car crash just blocks away from her home after she unbuckled her seat belt to take a selfie.
Kailee Mills, a junior at Klein Collins High School, was driving with three friends to a Halloween party in Houston on October 28when she proceeded to take off her seat belt to snap the picture, reports Daily Mail.
The car was involved in a single rollover wreck in Rothwood, Texas, and Kailee - sitting in the back seat - was ejected from the vehicle. She was the only passenger who died and was just 500 yards (457 metres) from her home.
"The car went off the road. She was ejected and she died instantly. All the other kids in the car they had their seat belts on and they all survived with very little injury," her father, David Mills, explained to KRIV.
The Harris County Sheriff's deputies stated that they believe that the driver of the vehicle was speeding and lost control, KTRK reported.
"All I kept saying was, 'It's not real, it's not real,'" said mother Wendy Mills.
David Mills added: "We know if she had her seat belt on, she'd still be here."
The Mills have started the Kailee Mills Foundation, a non-profit that puts decals in car windows with the hope of reminding folks to utilise their seat belts.
Her parents - David and Wendy Mills - have started the Kailee Mills Foundations. Photo / Twitter
They've also teamed up with the Texas Department of Transportation for the new "Click It or Ticket" campaign.
The campaign will feature a display memorial using a variety of white footwear to represent the nearly one thousand people who fall victim to seat belt and vehicle incidents in the state.
"Our daughter's shoes are the pink ones that we placed there to represent her. They call them ghost shoes. I can almost see all the people standing here," said David Mills.
The Mills hope to honor their daughter's legacy by pushing for increased seat belt usage across the state.
"She had this laugh that was very unique. Her laugh alone made you smile and she loved to make people smile. My daughter was just outgoing, a ray of sunshine," added Wendy Mills.
The TXDOT states that the risk of dying by car crash goes down 45 per cent in a car and 60 per cent in a truck when utilizing a seat belt.
