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What can happen in the blink of an eye

How many times have you caught yourself reading or sending a text while you are behind the wheel? You may take your eyes off the road for only 5 seconds, but at 55 mph that is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed. Johnny Shingleton knows that is enough time to change a life forever.

"I died twice and they brought me back," said Shingleton. "They told my wife and daughter that I had a 50 percent chance of making it through the night."

PHOTOS: Distracted driving crash on U.S. 35

Shingleton does not remember the chain-reaction crash on July 18, 2016 at U.S 35 in Beavercreek Township. He was stopped at red light when a semi slammed into the back of his car. He was rushed to the hospital by Careflight.

"All my ribs were broken, I had internal bleeding, blood clots in my legs, two collapsed lungs and a head injury," Shingleton said.

State troopers determined that the semi driver who hit Shingleton was distracted.

"All the pain that he put me through, me and my family, just because he wasn't paying attention," said Shingleton. "He was, just because he was trying to reach a drink that fell on the floor of his truck."

According to the Ohio Highway Patrol, distracted driving caused nearly 14,000 crashes in our state last year. Texting and driving is one of the biggest problems.

RELATED: OSU student killed in distracted driving crash

"I do it sometimes how of habit," said My-Anna Carter of Dayton. "When you start drifting you're like, I've got to put my phone down because this is not safe."

Recently, a woman admitted she was reaching for her cell phone when she crashed her car through a fence at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. However, one trooper told us that cell phones are not the only distraction they see on the roads.

"They're eating their food. You see people watching DVD's. They're watching movies, reading books, newspapers, all kinds of different things that are distractions, " said Lt. Matt Schmenk, of the Xenia OSP post.

In Ohio, it is illegal for a driver to read or text behind the wheel, even if they are stopped at a red light.

"You see some people that are sitting there and the light turns green and they're still sitting there. That's distracted driving," Lt. Schmenk said.

But, Lt. Schmenk said that texting and driving is a secondary offense and it is difficult to prove.

"If they're just driving down the road and I look over and I see them texting, there's nothing I can do about it until there's another violation," said Lt. Schmenk.

RELATED: 10 of the best distracted driving apps

Distracted driving is such a hot button right now, that many companies have developed apps to help you put down your phone. Apple's latest software update allows you to limit your cell phone use while you are driving.

Johnny Shingleton is driving once again and has some advice for others on the road.

"Watch what you're doing and think about what your're doing or you might take someone's life at any moment," Shingleton said.

He thinks that people who are addicted to their phones should consider using one of these new apps.

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