DISTRAC TED DRIVING is KILLING people. Linda (Pinky) Brown has made it her mission to bring awareness to this problem. The plan was to go for a ride and then talk. As we gearing up for our ride, Linda got a call from her son, Branndon, telling her that there was a bad accident right in front of her house. Immediately, the plans changed, and we rode to her home to make sure Branndon was OK (you will understand later on why I say that). The road was closed off, and the police were gracious and let us pass. There was a dump truck in front of her house on one side of the road, and what was left of a car on the other side. The driver of the car was in critical condition and was airlifted to Toronto.
I read about the #ipinkyswear campaign online, and I wanted to know more about Linda Brown and what it is all about. Her campaign is to bring awareness about Distracted Driving. I am writing this to put a face to what a victim looks like as a result of this heinous crime. I called her and she was enthusiastic to do an interview. We arranged to meet at Bulldogg Custom Apparel in Lindsay, Ontario where she is getting merchandise made. I saw Linda’s bike in the parking lot. It’s a beautiful pink (and I mean PINK) Harley Davidson V Rod. Yes, I am jealous. Yes, I want a PINK bike too. I salivated as I stared at it. Her license plate is PINK V. I couldn’t wait to meet her. Page 20
After reassuring her son, we sat down to talk. She was visibly shaken by the accident in front of her house. It brought back bad memories for her of her own accident involving her motorcycle and a car. She is the victim of a Distracted Driver. It has been three years since Linda’s accident. In her accident, the driver crossed the centre line and all hell broke loose. After being hit by the car, Linda went end over end for about a block and landed on the side of the road. At first, she thought her lower leg was completely severed because if was at a 90 degree angle from the rest of her leg. She was airlifted to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. When Linda woke up after her operation, she asked her husband, “Is my leg still attached?”