Oklahoma: Fallen troopers mother weighs in on texting and driving ban in Oklahoma

In just two weeks, using your cell phone while driving in Oklahoma will be illegal.

January 31, 2015 is a day Shelley Russell will never forget. "No mother should have to go through this."

Trooper Nicholas Dees, her only son, was hit and killed by a distracted driver while working an accident along I-40, east of Shawnee. Another trooper, Keith Burch, was seriously injured.

"I struggle everyday," said Nick Dees mother Shelley Russell. "I honestly don't know how I am going to make it."

The driver, Steven Wayne Clark, pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter. Russell says during Clark's trip from Arkansas he sent almost 200 texts, and was updating his social media when he struck her son.

"It's just hard for me to believe that someone can drive three hours and text that many times," said Russell. "What is so important."

A new law banning texting and driving in Oklahoma goes into effect on November 1st. It's called the "Trooper Nicholas Dees and Keith Burch Act of 2015." Russell says while this is a positive thing for the state, she has mixed emotions about it.

"It took the death of my son, who made the ultimate sacrifice for the state of Oklahoma, to get this house bill passed," said Russell.

Trooper BJ Keeling taught Dees in the academy. "It makes us feel a lot better knowing that him dying was not in vein," said Keeling. "That him dying made people learn."