Kaytlyn Madison Thomas Memorial Foundation
My name is Ron Thomas. I am a father of six wonderful children with my amazing wife of 23 years, Janelle. I am setting up this memorial campaign for 2 reasons:
1. The Kaytlyn Madison Thomas Memorial Scholarship fund and
2. The Kaytlyn's Law legislative advocacy effort.
Let me tell you why:
Monday, July 12, 2021 was a quiet summer evening in central Wisconsin. The sun had set and the cool evening was just beginning. That calm was interrupted as a severely alcohol impaired driver, with a 0.24 BAC, sped down the off ramp on the I-39 freeway, heading north on the south bound lanes. The driver nearly hit several oncoming vehicles, but the driver did not change course. The driver continued on the wrong side of the freeway, zipping through the slightly humid Wisconsin night.
Fortunately, concerned citizens called in to the local authorities. Police were quickly dispatched and on the road in minutes searching for the errant vehicle.
Unfortunately, the police were unable to intercept the car before it collided head on at full speed with another south bound car. That other car was driven by an innocent 18-year-old girl who had just graduated. Her new life at college and whole career in high fashion was destroyed in an instant by a careless, mindless act that could have been prevented.
That little girl was mine. Kaytlyn Madison Thomas was killed by a weaponized automobile.
Kaytlyn's obituary can be read here: Kaytlyn Madison Thomas
Please send your donations so that we can fund the Kaytlyn M. Thomas Memorial Scholarship. We want to honor Kaytlyn's love for fashion and her desire for earning a college degree to live on. The first scholarship has been setup with the Mosinee School District and will be awarded to a Mosinee student who demonstrates Kaytlyn's love for fashion and plans to attend UW-Stout.
Additionally, the family is accepting donations to advocate for Kaytlyn’s Law - a proposition currently being drafted by the family to address automotive data standards to ensure autonomous vehicles become a nationwide reality for all. There are numerous existing technologies that can analyze your driving behavior and provide feedback to make us all better drivers and to intervene - predict and prevent crashes. This would also provide data to help speed up the development of autonomous vehicles, which are the ultimate safety goal. 94% of all crashes are human error. We make mistakes. Driving is repetitive, sometimes frustrating and boring. Let the machines do it!
Kaytlyn's Law can help us get to my goal: 0 auto fatalities in 25 yrs.
A letter has already been sent to the White House requesting support. We ask you to support it too. In the near future, we hope to have a website available to help you send letters to your lawmakers. (update: plan is to have a site and advocacy letter ready by the end of 2021)
Her death was senseless and preventable and shall not be in vain. We applaud the efforts of MADD and others who supported the HALT and RIDE Acts that were just enacted under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This will require driver monitoring systems be required in new automobiles before the end of the decade. The systems will be able to stop impaired individuals from driving!
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ron & Janelle, Ryan, Jaelyn, (Kaytlyn 2003 to 2021), Lauryn, Addisyn, and Carsyn Thomas
