Glancing Down at a Text Message While Driving Changed the Course of Liz Marks' Life

Liz Marks was your typical popular, well-adjusted 17-year-old. She and her friends attended sports events and went to parties. She got good grades and acted as a role model for younger students. Then, on April 7, 2012, she got into a horrific car accident that changed her life forever—all because she glanced down to check a text message from her mom.

In that brief second of inattention, Liz's car slid completely under the back of a flatbed tow truck that was fully stopped in her lane, permanently disfiguring Liz and crushing the top of her car. By all accounts, Liz should have died.

While she miraculously survived the car wreck, she was extremely disfigured. She was blind in one eye. She had lost her sense of smell and much of her hearing. She couldn't cry because both of her tear ducts were damaged, and, to this day, she can't fall asleep naturally. She has to take medicine to put herself to sleep.

Liz, now 21, tells Oprah: Where Are They Now? that she's devoted her life to preventing other people from going through the same awful experience she did. She and her mother, Betty, travel the country spreading awareness about the dangers of texting and driving. You can keep up with Liz's whereabouts at Don't Text N Drive 4 Liz Marks.