Father of Polk County crash victim brings national attention to danger of texting while driving

TAMPA - A Maryland father spoke before the Department of Transportation on Tuesday to talk about the daughter he lost in a multi-car pile-up in January of 2008 after the driver a semi-truck ran a red light while he was texting.

Russ Hurd's daughter Heather was on her way to meet her parents who were visiting the Orlando area.  Heather Hurd and her family were scheduled to meet with a wedding planner that day, but within hours, they were forced to think about a funeral.

Heather was driving along Highway 27 in Polk County when the truck driver slammed through that red light, causing a chain reaction crash.  10 cars were involved in that crash.  Several people were injured and two women were killed, Heather being one of them.

Russ said he will go before the DOT as an effort to try an change the culture in the United States when it comes to using the phone inside a moving vehicle.

The Hurds said they don't want to be in anyone's face, they just want to share their painful story of loss because of a driver who couldn't wait to pick up his phone.

The Hurd's helped pass "Heather's Law" in Maryland in 2009, which makes texting while driving illegal.

"She would giggle and I miss that giggle.  It's hard to describe, but to know that you're not going to hear that anymore is difficult," said Russ Hurd.