Missing Her Big Sister...

Let me introduce you to 11-year-old Katrina Brown. I met her while covering a story about BUST (Buckle Up and Stop Texting). A program her parents began after losing their oldest daughter, Alex, in a car accident last November. Alex was texting while driving and wasn't wearing a seatbelt when her car lost control. The Brown Family has since traveled all over the Big Country to spread their message of BUST. It's a simple message that many parents have probably given to their own kids, "Pay more attention when you're driving." I'm sure we've all been guilty of distracted driving at some point or another. Most of the time, it's harmless and doesn't end in disaster. But not for Katrina's big sis. I've posted this video to show how articulate and mature this girl was. Any reporter will tell you that the best and hardest sound to get-is from a child. Katrina was fantastic, not only did she answer my questions, but she was honest and genuine. She was talking about her sister's death with such insight and strength, that I wish all interviews went as smoothly as hers. Of course, reporters will also tell you that it's almost impossible to control your environment-especially if it happens to be in a school gym. I had Katrina all set up, the interview was going great, but then someone started doing sound checks, then all the roaring students filed in. Of course this all happened during the BEST parts of interview. Sometimes it's just what happens, so you just roll with the punches. Katrina had the normal reaction, tried to ignore it until she got distracted, but then went right back into it, not skipping a beat.