OPINION: He paid for that text message with his life

In September 2014, a Colfax man, Samuel Thompson, who was only 20 years old, was driving north on Washington State Route 195. He was texting with a friend. Sam had just passed Albion Road when he crashed head-on with a semitruck that was traveling south. Sam died at the scene.

In the wake of the tragedy, Sam’s parents, Jim and Lisa Thompson, launched a public campaign about the dangers of texting and driving. Sam’s story was shared on TV, radio and newspapers. The Daily News had an article about this on Oct. 18, 2014; you can read it here: bit.ly/4bwG2Gw.

In addition to using the media to spread the word, they also paid for a roadside memorial sign. The Washington Department of Transportation offered the signs to remind the motoring public about dangers and to memorialize the person who died.

If you drive on SR 195 just north of Albion Road, you will see the memorial sign for Sam.

Several additional signs are in other parts of Whitman County. Near the Toyota dealership on the Pullman-Moscow highway is a memorial sign asking people not to drink and drive after three people were killed in an accident. One on SR 195 just south of Colfax also reminds people not to drink and drive. A memorial sign on SR 26 just outside Dusty reminds people to drive safely.

At the beginning of March, the Thompsons received a letter from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The letter said they were removing Sam’s memorial sign on April 1, 2025, citing its age and a new policy.

The letter was received out of the blue and was completely shocking. Jim described this letter as a punch to the gut. I would add that it was a sucker punch. There was never any indication that the sign would come down prematurely. Jim and Lisa drive past the sign daily when they go to work. I cannot imagine the pain of knowing the WSDOT isn’t following the deal they agreed to with the Thompsons.

Jim said the contract they signed informed them that the sign would be removed when it was worn. They said that signs usually last seven to 10 years. If you were driving on SR 195 and looked at Sam’s sign, you’d have no idea that it is 10 years old. It is still in great shape.

I went to WSDOT’s website to learn about roadside memorial signs. It reads, “Duration — Memorial signs will remain in place for six (6) years. Following the six-year period, the sign will be taken down and placed in the nearest maintenance facility for 30 days for the applicant to collect them.”

I used the Wayback Machine, an internet webpage archiving website that allows the user to see what a webpage looked like at some point in history, and viewed this same webpage. It was 2021, and it did not have any information that limited the duration to six years.

After receiving this letter, Jim and Lisa posted information on Facebook about the letter they received and the fact that Sam’s sign was unceremoniously coming down. The outrage went far and wide, and local media picked up the story.

According to Jim, the news made its way to Olympia, and the governor got involved. After his involvement, the WSDOT publicly released new information. They recognized that the letters they sent out were upsetting to all the families who received one. Hopefully, someone at WSDOT learned that there needs to be a better way to communicate with families.

The new notice also stated they are “taking a pause to reevaluate and further explore all possible options” for the signs in question. While this is better news, it doesn’t mean Sam’s sign is safe.

The deal was that the sign would come down once it was no longer serviceable, but that is not true today. That sign is in great shape. The best option is to honor the deal Jim and Lisa believed they agreed to when paying to have the memorial sign placed.

The pain the Thompsons have endured by losing their son is enough. WSDOT’s unfair change in policy and the letter sent out of the blue have re-traumatized them and all the other families who received these letters.

Lisa was quoted for a story that appeared in the Spokesman-Review on April 2, 2015, and it puts this tragedy in perspective. “(She) said her son knew better and had been taught not to use his cellphone while behind the wheel. ‘He still did it,’ she said. ‘He paid for it with his life.’ ”

Anderson was the co-host and producer of the award-winning conservative talk radio show before hanging up the headphones. Earning a degree in philosophy helped further sharpen his renowned logic. He has a superb sense of right and wrong and advocates educating people instead of controlling them. He enjoys photography, woodworking and sports. He may be seen helping and volunteering in the community when he is not performing computer programming. He loves feedback at crier@cityofpullman.com.