Vision Zero Greensboro Two Year Action Plan

Vijay Purswani 1996-2016

Vijay was a talented artist, a brilliant student, the youngest of his family. He loved graphic design and music. He was working on becoming an Eagle Scout. “He was my baby. We used to call him a cuddly bear. He loved giving hugs,” said his mom, Kiran Purswani. But Vijay’s life was cut short becuase a friend was texting and driving. On a Saturday in April, Vijay and his friends went to Raleigh for his first music competition. His mom reluctantly agreed to let him travel with a teen driver. Normally she would have brought him herself, but he was insistent. “He called me around 3 o’clock and said mom, ‘We did really great. I will tell you about it when I get home,’” Kiran said. The next knock at her door was a pair of State Troopers telling Kiran Vijay had been in a crash. His friend was texting while they drove on the highway. He accidentally swerved into another lane, then overcorrected. The car flipped. Vijay was thrown out the back window. The driver and another passengaer, both seat-belted in the front seats, survived unharmed. “I didn’t know what foolish thing that went in his head that he took the phone and started texting...They were best friends. Don’t do that to your friends. Don’t text and drive,” Kiran said. The driver faced criminal charges. The prosecutor’s asked Kiran what kind of punishment he should recieve. “The only thing I want is my son back. That is all,” she said.

Vijay as a young boy

A painted memorial for Vijay

VISION ZERO G R E E N S B O R O

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