Family urging West Texas students to consider their ‘One Choice,’ after drunk driver kills 3 teens on their way from school

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A West Texas family is encouraging all drivers to consider how their “One Choice” can change lives forever, after their daughter was killed by a drunk driver. A Plains native returned to her hometown last week, to share the safe driving campaign with the high schoolers, some who knew her daughter.

Aspen Blessing was killed in March, five days shy of her 19th birthday, after a man chose to drink and get behind the wheel outside of Abilene. Her mom, Jen Blessing, says he was driving the wrong way on I-20 for five miles before he hit her head on, ripping their world apart.

“I just remember falling to my knees. One of the troopers caught me as I hit the ground,” Jen said. “It just seemed surreal that we had just seen her and 16 minutes from our house, she was hit and instantly killed.”

Aspen was living on her own in Abilene and decided she wanted to become an EMT.

“We didn’t just lose who Aspen was. I mean everybody loved Aspen. She was a joy and a light and was friends to everyone,” her mom said. “But we lost who she was going to get to become in the future. She doesn’t get to get married or have kids.”