Texting tragedy recounted by state trooper

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is spreading messages aimed at ending distracted driving in honor of tweet, LaHood shared a touching story written by a Kansas state trooper. In the story, trooper Casey Simoneau recounts taking inventory of a car accident scene. The accident was caused by one driver hitting another car head-on after attempting to pass while texting. The driver who had been texting died in the crash; two other people were severely injured.

Simoneau writes about how many people are affected by these crashes -- not only the victims of the crash but their friends and families as well as the first responders on the scene and the other drivers on the road.

"A witness who was enjoying a peaceful drive will have to live with a horrible memory," Simoneau explains.

According to data recently released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 3,300 people died in distracted driving incidents in the U.S. in 2011 -- up from 3,092 the year before.

Read Simoneau's

By Sherrice Gilsbach