Emotionally Powerful Documentary Profiles Local Student's Tragedy

ALBANY, NY (02/05/2013)(readMedia)-- Pamela Nichols, local attorney and safety advocate, announces the release of a new documentary "Just a Few Seconds", a 3-minute documentary produced by non-profit EndDD.org. The video reveals the tragic consequence of distracted driving in the lives of two young women – the grieving daughter of a distracted driving victim and the 17-year-old high school honors student who killed him.

"I wasn't texting or using a cell phone, but I killed someone...."

The video features two young women forever connected by tragedy: Kate McGuire, who was a 17-year-old high school honors student when she killed a man after momentarily looking away from the road while driving; and Emily, the grieving daughter who was 6 months pregnant when her father was killed in the accident. The release of the "Just a Few Seconds" video is part of a larger ongoing project aimed at combatting a preventable problem that causes 4 million car crashes per year.

Kate McGuire, now a local college student, joins O'Connell and Aronowitz attorneys Pam Nichols and Tom DiNovo in their two-year volunteer effort to bring the critical message of distracted driving dangers to high school students across New York State. The "Just a Few Seconds" video was released for the first time on February 4, to mark the one-year anniversary of the national End Distracted Driving campaign.

The film's producer is Joel Feldman, an attorney and founder of EndDD.org. Feldman understands first-hand how tragic distracted driving can be. He and his wife Dianne Anderson, also an attorney, lost their 21-year-old daughter, Casey Feldman, to a distracted driver in 2009. Since that time they have worked tirelessly to establish The Casey Feldman Foundation and EndDD.org to end distracted driving.

In 2012, Joel and partnered with 60forSafety.org, a national safety speakers bureau of trial lawyers, to launch this effort aimed at student drivers. The campaign involves volunteer speakers across North American, like Pam Nichols and Tom DiNovo, who deliver a professionally-produced presentation to high school students and other community groups.

"When most people hear 'distracted driving' they immediately imagine someone texting or talking on the phone," explains attorney Pam Nichols, who has had Kate join her at Capital District high schools to explain how just a few moments of distraction took a man's life. "The reality is that there are many other ways drivers can be distracted."

Designed with healthcare researchers and educational development professionals, the presentation uses a new method of outreach that does not lecture to teens but instead treats them as driving "peers". The presentation asks for their help to spread the End Distracted Driving message to parents, friends and family. After almost one year the nationwide End Distracted Driving effort, which involves 500 trial lawyers from the across the country, has reached nearly 50,000 students with this pro-safety message.

The video is available for online viewing here: http://enddd.org/blog/justafewseconds/

For more information on local End Distracted Driving effort, the "Just a Few Seconds" documentary, or Kate McGuire's outstanding contribution to this public service effort, please contact Pamela Nichols at (518) 462-5601. All media questions for Kate should be directed to Pam Nichols.