Heartbreaking final video shows girl, 17, speaking about her hopes and dreams before she died in horror crash that she caused - as her mother reveals the moment she found out her girl was dead
- Ruby-Jean Steele, 17, died after she got distracted while driving home last year
- Her mother said she hoped her daughter's death would teach others a lesson
- Auckland Police shared the video to raise awareness on the dangers of driving
A grieving mother has shared an emotional tribute to her teenage daughter after she was killed in a horrific car accident.
The gut-wrenching video showed 17-year-old Ruby-Jean Steele's best friends and mother, Kristen Neil, as they shared her story in the hope it could help save lives.
Ruby-Jean died in a car crash on Waiuku Road in Auckland, New Zealand, after she got distracted while driving home on November 9 last year.
The video was released on social media by Auckland City District Police and is part of a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of not paying attention while driving.
The gut-wrenching video showed 17-year-old Ruby-Jean Steele's best friends and mother, Kristen Neil, as they shared her story in the hope it could help save lives.
Ruby-Jean Steele (pictured) died in a car crash on Waiuku Road in Auckland, New Zealand, after she got distracted while driving home on November 9 last year
The video begins with Ruby's video audition for a position at a summer camp in the US.
The bubbly teenager smiled as she explained how she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and experience new things, before cutting to an image of the car wreckage.
The video then moves on to her mother, who says a colleague told her someone died on Waiuku Road earlier that day.
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'I just went "oh, I hope Ruby-Jean's home,"' she recalled.
'I remember saying to the nurses that, you know "some poor family is going to have a s*** Friday today".
'Not long after that I saw my eldest boy come up the stairs with the police.
The gut-wrenching video showed 17-year-old Ruby-Jean Steele's best friends and mother, Kristen Neil (pictured), as they shared her story in the hope it could help save lives
'And I walked out and I said to them, "please don't tell me it's Ruby-Jean",' she cried.
When asked what she would say to her late-daughter now, Ms Neil wept and lamented that nothing would bring her daughter back.
'I would say sorry it had to be her life that ended to hopefully teach other people a huge lesson.'
Ruby's friend Majenta said she hoped speaking about it would save someone else's life.
'If people see how bad it affects people when you unsafely drive I honestly think it's the only way that people are going to sort themselves out because so many people think, "it's not going to be me, it wouldn't be me, I can drive safely''.'
The bubbly teenager smiled in the video as she explained how she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty experience new things, before cutting to an image of the car wreckage (pictured)
'Everybody gets in a car and thinks, "I'm not that person".
'People need to realise how bad it truly is and how fast it can wipe out so many memories and such a beautiful thing can be ripped away from you.'
Another friend, Letitia, was too upset at first to comment, but then explained her dance group finally won a dance competition they choreographed as a tribute to their friend.
'We hope that you're proud that your story is going to change other people's lives.'
Ms Neil shared how a colleague told her someone died on Waiuku Road earlier that day (pictured: the wreckage of Ruby-Jean's car)
The police post explained they weren't able to identify what distracted Ruby that day and caused the fatal smash, but left a message to all drivers.
'Whether you're reaching to change the music, pick up your phone, or daydream out the window, your attention is needed on the road - you need to focus,' they wrote.
'Focusing will get you home to your loved ones.'
