Judge Tillet:

There is no greater impact on a family than the loss of a child. We loved Amanda, and in an instant she was taken from us.

Amanda was the youngest in our family of 5. She was bright, outgoing, sensitive, caring, and adventurous. These past nine months without her have been very hard to handle, as the enormous space she left behind has forever changed us. Amanda was a dynamic young lady who kept our household lively.

Since her death the healing process has been slow. All of us find it hard to concentrate on much of anything. Some days everything is fine, and on others we fall backwards. Birthdays, holidays, and family events now feel strange.

As a parent, one of the nicest sounds you will ever hear is your child calling you Dad or Mom, or calling her brother and sister, Michael and Kelly. We miss her cheery anouncement, "I'm home!" Once in awhile she called me Pops, and her mom, Sugar. We miss that every day.

Now we have visits from her friends, who come to share their experiences as well as their memories of better times. We have Amanda's paintings, pictures, and different souvenirs around the house, but no Amanda.

You can't believe the pain that shoots through you when a police officer tells you your child has been killed. We don't want other families to experience the pain that all of our families have felt.

There are a lot of things in life that you have no control over, but this senseless crash didn't have to happen.

Amanda will always be a precious gem to her family and everyone who knew her.