Boyfriend's death sparks viral warning
ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - A Bay area woman’s touching New Year's Eve Facebook post about the consequences of texting and driving has gone viral.
Susan Shain lights up when she talks about her boyfriend, Bob Armlin.
"He was the new kid and he was in a lot of my classes," she said. "He had the most incredible laugh. He could make you laugh at yourself, even when you didn't want to be. He just made everyone feel really special," said Shain.
The two knew each other for 12 years. They met in high school and dated throughout college. After a short break to experience life, they were back together.
"He was the love of my life," she said.
Five months ago, Bob was in a car accident and died. In an instant, Susan's life was ripped apart.
"I lost my boyfriend, I lost my best friend, I lost somebody who was just a constant in my life that I thought was always going to be there," she said.
No one was in the car with Bob, but Susan and his family believe he was distracted by his phone.
"I think everybody thinks they are invincible. That they think it won't happen to them. That it is just a split second, but in reality that split second can change your entire life. It can change the lives of people around you," said Shain.
Hours before spending her first new year without Bob, Susan went to Facebook and wrote a six-paragraph post, asking others to follow a New Year's resolution of not being distracted while driving.
"I know a lot of people don't text, but people will use Pandora, people will use their maps. People will just answer one little thing and all it takes is one split second of being distracted to change a lot of people's lives forever," she said.
In just a matter of days, the post had been shared more than 72,000 times. While at times bittersweet, Susan hopes others will take their promise to heart.
"Nothing is going to make it better and nothing is going to bring him back but if in his memory less lives, fewer lives can be lost then it was worth posting it," said Shain.