Samuel Blake Thompson: Colfax parents hope to turn text, tragedy into larger message

Everyday on the way to work, Lisa and Jim Thompson drive over a spot of asphalt marked with orange spray paint.

"It's hard when you have to drive by that," Lisa said. "I don't want any other parent to go through that."

The spray paint marks the spot where their son, Samuel Blake Thompson, just 20 years of age, died on Sept. 12 after his white 1998 Toyota Camry drifted across the center line and into oncoming traffic. His vehicle was struck head-on by a semi, and Samuel was killed instantly.

It was all so unnecessary. A coroner's report indicates Samuel had been texting at the time of the accident.

One day that paint will wash away, but the memories and pain that spot brings up never will.

For now, it is impossible to bypass the spot where their son was killed - right near mile marker 30 on U.S. Highway 195 between Pullman and Colfax - without going a long, round-about way, Lisa said.

The two parents carpool together from their home in Colfax to work every morning. Both work in Pullman, Lisa at Washington Trust Bank and Jim for Pullman Disposal.

Samuel died a little more than a month ago, just one week before his 21st birthday.

He was the youngest child of Jim, 50, and Lisa, 48. His two older brothers, Trent, 28, and Troy, 24, both live in Austin, Texas.

"He was a good kid, who made a terrible mistake and paid his life for it," Lisa said.

Phone records show that Samuel had received a message one minute, sent a text the next and the following minute a 911 call went out reporting that a car had collided head-on with a semi.

The impact of the collision forced the front seats of Samuel's car all the way into the back of the vehicle. The back seat was no longer a back seat, his mother said.

"Everybody thinks they're invincible and it won't happen to them," but it only takes a second of looking down, Jim said.

As difficult as the situation has been for the family, his parents are thankful no one else was injured or killed in the accident.

"He was just such a caring boy, he would have never wanted to hurt somebody," Lisa said. "He always thought of other people."

Lisa described Samuel as an old soul, with maturity and a heart far past his young age.

Stories shared by loved ones, friends and acquaintances on the Bruning Funeral Home website show what kind of happy and caring person he was, she said. There were so many people who had known him and cared for him, Lisa said.

"I was just so touched at the memorial," she said.

After the funeral, Lisa said she received a letter and flowers from a young girl who had known Samuel when he was a lifeguard and swim instructor. The girl wrote that Samuel had kept pushing her all summer and finally, by the end, she could swim, Lisa said.

Coaching is what he wanted to do with his life, simply because he loved helping people, Lisa said.

The 2012 Colfax High School graduate was always involved in school, his mother said. He was a leader in a school spirit group and many of his former teammates say he was always the most encouraging and supportive person to play alongside, Lisa said.

At the time of his death, Samuel was going into his junior year at Lewis and Clark State College, studying for a degree in criminology.

About six months ago, while away from home, Samuel was issued a speeding ticket, his father said. Information on that ticket was sent by the Washington State Patrol to the home of Samuel's parents, where his vehicle was still registered. Along with that information was a flyer about the dangers of texting and driving.

The flyer featured a picture of Heather Lerch, a 19-year-old woman who had died in a texting and driving accident near Tumwater, Wash. Heather's story is now used as a warning to others, and the vehicle she died in is taken to high schools around the state for safety presentations.

Samuel never saw the flyer, his father said.

Lisa said she had hoped they could use Samuel's vehicle for similar presentations, but his car was too damaged in the crash.

Through a Gofundme.com account created by Lisa's sister on Oct. 12, the family has already surpassed their goal of raising $1,500 to go toward the installation of two signs at the scene of the accident in honor of Samuel. In just five days, as of noon Friday, the account had received $2,055 in donations from 46 people.

Similar to the signs often seen around state roads in honor of those killed in drunk driving accidents, the signs on U.S. 195 will aim to bring awareness to the dangers of texting and driving, Jim said.

"There is only one sign in the state of Washington that says 'Don't text and drive,' " he said.

Lisa said they want to raise more money to put signs other places. While they may start in Whitman County, they hope someday they can help install signs throughout the state.

Jim said he was told by one of his co-workers that the accident has made his wife store her phone in her purse whenever she gets behind the wheel.

"That's what we are trying to do," Lisa said. "turn this tragedy into something good. I just want people to have more signs."

Jim said there hasn't been much of a push yet to get these warning signs up, while in other states, such as Minnesota, there are huge billboards on the side of the road with anti-texting messages.

Jim said he has been contacted by a representative from the safety department of the Washington Department of Transportation, who said the agency was excited about the work they were doing to get more signs up. He said the DOT is also working out details to work on texting and driving awareness.

"Everything can wait," Lisa said. "Nothing is worth your life.

The family continues to receive words of support from family, friends and strangers, while they remember their son, even in small ways, such as in the spirit of his dog, Anna.

The golden retriever/lab mix now lives with Jim and Lisa. Anna is full of energy and sweet as can be, Lisa said.

"I see so much of him in her," she said. "She truly is Sam."

To donate to the fund for roadside signs against texting and driving, visit: gofundme.com/fqkjm0.

Samantha Malott can be reached at (208) 883-4639, or by email to smalott@dnews.com.

He was a good kid, who made a terrible mistake and paid his life for it."

This is the first in a series of stories celebrating the lives and examining the deaths of those few who die this year in Whitman and Latah counties before reaching 50 years old.