We’re excited to announce Crosley Law’s 2018 Local Scholarship recipient: Albion Zogaj. Albion graduated from Health Careers High School in San Antonio. His powerful essay on distracted driving and his academic credentials contributed to his nomination and selection.
Crosley Law’s Scholarship Program Empowers San Antonio Students
As part of our commitment to San Antonio, Crosley Law offers two scholarships each year. The first is a $1,000 scholarship for San Antonio high school seniors accepted to a community college or four-year university. We also offer a $500 national scholarship that is open to high school students across the country.
The local scholarship serves several purposes:
- Supporting San Antonio’s talented students and encouraging their continued education
- Teaching young people about the dangers of distracted driving
- Sharing students’ stories and ideas with the greater San Antonio community
To apply, students must submit an essay that explains how distracted driving impacted their lives.
Distracted Driving Is Dangerous and Preventable
Texting while driving is a crime in Texas. More importantly, it endangers motorists, pedestrians, and bikers. In Texas, one out of every five car crashes involves a distracted driver. In 2017, over 100,000 crashes in our state involved reported cellphone use, inattention, or distraction. As a result of these crashes, 2,989 people suffered serious injuries and 444 were killed.
RELATED ARTICLE: 4 Simple Things You Need to Do if Your Teen Is Involved in a Crash
However, many experts suspect that distracted driving is underreported. Most people know that it’s illegal to text and drive, so they deny that they were doing it. Unless an experienced personal injury lawyer investigates the case, their mobile phone use may go undetected.
Albion’s Experience with a Distracted Driver Changed His Life
Albion’s winning 2018 local scholarship essay resonated with Crosley Law’s reviewing panel. In it, he discusses his firsthand experience with a distracted driver and how it impacted his life. As a child, Albion was injured in a car wreck involving a distracted driver. He reports that the driver was texting and speeding at the time of the crash.
RELATED ARTICLE: Distracted Driving Laws Are Great—But People Keep Causing Crashes
Albion’s arm was broken in the crash, and his mother suffered serious injuries. Thankfully, they both survived. This horrific event impressed upon Albion the importance of safe driving. He explained:
By checking your phone, effectively taking your full attention off the road, you are deciding that whatever fleeting satisfaction you receive by virtually engaging with some irrelevant online entity is more important than the innocent lives of those driving around you. Something so shortsighted and selfish, even to a ten-year-old, was enough to anger me to the point of fervent conviction.
As a young driver, he always puts his phone in the back seat and asks his friends to do the same. When they resist, he tells them the story of his mother.
Albion graduated from San Antonio’s award-winning and highly respected Health Careers High School. He will attend the University of Texas at Austin this fall and has been accepted into its McCombs School of Business. He has voiced a continuing interest in healthcare and medical innovation.
Crosley Law: Committed to San Antonio
Crosley Law has a long history of community service and engagement. Our scholarship program is just one more way that we show our commitment to San Antonio and its bright future. To learn more about Crosley Law, contact us online or call 210-LAW-3000 | 210-529-3000.
References
Texas Department of Transportation. (2018). Talk, text, crash. Retrieved from https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-center/psas/distracted-driving/distracted.html
The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.
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