SAN ANTONIO – A Hill Country mother is joining state law enforcement to help to save lives. Doreen Palestrant’s son David was killed in a rollover crash in 2021.
Palestrant is now urging drivers across Texas to heed her warning and wear their seatbelts when in a moving vehicle.
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The Click It or Ticket campaign has law enforcement across the state on extra look out for drivers not wearing seatbelts. The Click It program goes into effect from May 20 to June 2.
Palestrant said her son David had his whole life ahead of him.
“We didn’t see David go to his senior prom, we didn’t get to see David walk across the stage, we don’t get to see David start a family,” she said. “I don’t get to dance with my son at his wedding. All because he made the choice of not buckling up.”
State law requires everyone in a moving vehicle to wear their seatbelts, a fine costs $200, with children under eight years old required to be in a child booster or child car seat. A fine for breaking that law can cost $250.
David was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Jonah Kai Stone. Investigators say he was going nearly 90 mph on the highway and swerved to avoid a vehicle when he lost control and rolled the pick-up truck.
David was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. Stone, 21, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for intoxication manslaughter, and he’s eligible for parole in 2025.