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Penticton  

Widow spreads message

The widow of a well-known Penticton dentist who was killed when he was hit by a car in Mexico, had an important message to share, Saturday, at the Rotary Wheels Car Show.

Linda Ruby stationed herself by her husband Eric Ruby's Mazda Miata with a poster that read "Texting and Driving The Result."

"Im trying to get across that texting and driving kills and it destroys families, it destroyed my family," she said.

The incident happened in March of this year when the couple were going for their normal Friday morning bike ride in Mazatlan.

They were cycling on a quiet street with no vehicles around and Ruby, 64, was on the outside talking to his wife, when suddenly he wasn't.

"When I looked he was flying over a white car along with what was left of his bike, and I knew he was dead when he was in the air," she said. "There were two young males in a white Nissan coming from behind and each of them, the driver and passenger, were texting on their phones and were late for college and driving very fast.

They hit Eric and didn't try to stop."

Eventually they did stop and come back and the driver came up to Ruby as she was at her husband's side. They stayed, called the police and the driver admitted to what he did.

Ruby also felt it was important to display the poster, which has pictures of the accident and her family, at the car show because her husband was a charter member of Rotary and the car show was his baby.

The show this year is in Ruby's memory and there is a new memorial trophy honouring him.

"I loved him for 48 years, and in literally seconds I watched him die. No one should have to go through that," she said. "So I am doing this for now, and next spring my thoughts are I'd like to speak to students at the high schools."

 



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