How 8 Seconds of Distracted Driving Changed 2 Families Forever

It's likely that all of us have experienced getting a text while we're driving. For one truck driver, the 8 seconds he spent looking at a text changed the future of two families forever.

The truck drivers name is Sam Hicks. What led him to this 8 second decision is something that could happen to any of us. He and his girlfriend were looking at houses. She sent him a text about a listing. He made the tragic decision to read her text while behind the wheel. His decision changed his life and that of the driver in front of him, Robert Bursik, forever. Robert Bursik's wife and daughter are also featured in this video.

According to his description in the video, Sam's truck hit Robert's car going 63 mph and the impact caused the truck to end up on top of the car underneath. Robert's wife mentioned that the reports that it took hours for rescuers to get her husband cut from the car is what haunts her now.

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If you've ever spent seconds looking at something on your phone while driving, it's worth listening to Robert Bursik's wife talking about how her husband has now missed out on his daughter's wedding, the birth of a grandson and his son graduating from college.

Now, Sam thinks every day about how Robert was a dad, a professor, the owner of a greenhouse and every thing else he could have experienced. He thinks about that 8 second decision every single day. In addition, he misses out on events for his family for years. Eventually, he'll rejoin his family, but Robert won't. He thinks about all of these things every single day because of 8 seconds of phone distraction.