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Courageous Teen Vows To Save Young Lives Through
Bridgestone/Firestone-Sponsored Program
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (Jan. 28, 2003) – Ashley
Biersach's story is tragic, but her initiatives are heroic.
A survivor of a horrific automobile accident, Biersach – only
16 years old – has already experienced more than most people
ever will. She shares a serious message with other teens through a
new driver's education program called Driver's Edge™.
In May 2002,
Ashley barely survived a horrible automobile accident. The young driver,
a friend of Ashley’s, was taking a car full
of students back to school from lunch. A distraction made the driver
lose control of the car, and it slammed into a light pole at nearly
60 mph. Ashley was crushed from the waist down in the backseat where
she was riding with two other girls.
“I could see that my right foot was severed
and that my left foot was hurt pretty badly,” Ashley remembers. “The
only thing I could do was try to help my friends beside me. One was
unconscious,
so I gave her CPR, and she started breathing again.” Then, Ashley
held the hands of both girls while they waited for rescue workers to
remove them from the mangled car.
The front passenger was pronounced
dead at the scene of the accident, and the driver died in the hospital
a few days later. Ashley and her
friends in the backseat survived -- but all had serious injuries. Doctors
were forced to amputate Ashley’s right leg, and she has several
more surgeries scheduled.
When she was finally released from the hospital 49 days after the crash,
she felt strongly about telling her story to other teenagers. “What
happened to me and my friends was a nightmare,” Ashley said. “If
I can help save one person’s life by sharing my story, it will
be worth it.”
In 2003, Ashley has teamed up with
the non-profit driver education program Driver’s Edge and Bridgestone/Firestone
North Amercian Tire, LLC to bring her
safe-driving message to U.S. teens.
As a part of the Driver’s
Edge program, Ashley will travel to more than 11 cities speaking at
events where teens are given free driving lessons by professionals.
Students learn defensive driving skills, including evasive lane changes,
anti-lock and panic braking maneuvers, and skid control.
“I wish a program like Driver’s
Edge had been offered to me and to my friends,” Ashley said. “It’s
so important that teenagers learn how to drive safely. It’s truly
a matter of life and death.”
Students may register to attend one
of the 11 events by calling 1-877-633-EDGE
(3343) or online at www.driversedge.org and www.bridgestonetire.com.
The Driver’s Edge program will
be offered in conjunction with Bridgestone/Firestone Drive & Learn
events at the following locations:
Phoenix |
Feb. 8 |
Detroit |
July 18 |
Los Angeles |
Feb. 22, 23 |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
July 24 |
Dallas |
March 8 |
Oklahoma City |
Aug. 16 |
Nashville, Tenn. |
May 10, 11 |
San Francisco |
Sept. 13 |
New York |
May 17 |
Salt Lake City |
Oct. 4 |
Washington/Baltimore, Md. |
June 14 |
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(All dates subject to change. Refer to aforementioned
Web sites for current information.)
Nashville-based Bridgestone/Firestone North
American Tire, LLC is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding,
Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s
largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and
markets Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and associate and private
brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment
markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road,
agriculture and other tires to its customers in the Americas.
Digital images of the Driver’s Edge program
are available by logging onto:
http://www.driversedge.org and http://www.bridgestonetire.com |
