He sent a text to his fiancee that he was ‘almost there.’ He never made it.

Nico Moreno, of Auburn, was four minutes from his fiancee’s home when he sent this text while driving: “I’m almost there.”

That was the last text he ever sent.

The 20-year-old DJ and student at The Art Institute of Atlanta crossed the yellow center lines and slammed head-on into an oncoming vehicle on Harbins Road off Ga. 316 at 45 miles per hour. He died nine days later on Nov. 1, 2011, in a hospital’s intensive care unit.

His father, 46-year-old Brian Ortiz-Moreno, of Auburn, wants Georgia lawmakers to make it illegal to hold a cellphone and drive.

Ortiz-Moreno is among those who have lost loved ones to distracted-driving crashes expected speak Monday to a state House committee formed to study the problem. The committee is meeting from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at Central Georgia Technical College in Warner Robins.

State Rep. Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire, said the committee remains in the early stages of gathering information.

“There’s certainly data to show that Georgia has seen a spike in incidents and fatalities, and I think in order for us to be prudent, we want to take a look at this and look at it very closely and try to take action that’s appropriate to try to hopefully address those problems.”

But what’s appropriate has yet to be determined, Blackmon said.

A House bill to require hands-free use of electronic devices was rejected by lawmakers in the 2017 session.

Fatalities on Georgia roadways spiked by a third from 2014 to 2016, with distracted driving, speeding and alcohol thought to be among the leading factors, according to the National Transportation Safety Council. In 2016 alone, more than 1,500 people died in crashes on state roadways.

But gauging the problem of distracted driving can be challenging.

“When someone is either using drugs or alcohol, we can do a test and verify that,” said Harris Blackwood, director of the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “We can only look at what is symptomatic of distracted driving.”

Those symptoms include leaving the roadway and over correcting, crossing the center line, striking another vehicle from the rear or striking a guardrail, tree or other object.

“Those are very symptomatic of distracted driving,” Blackwood said. “They took their eyes off the road for a moment and the next thing they know, they’re in trouble.”

In addition to cellphone use, what’s defined as distracted driving runs the gambit from putting on lipstick to chowing down a burger and fries while driving.

Harris said he often asks young people if they would drive the length of a football field blindfolded, and of course, everyone says no.

“But you do it every day when you’re on an interstate highway driving 60 miles an hour and you’re texting,” Harris said.

Ortiz-Moreno said his son likely took his eyes off the road for a couple of seconds before he’d veered across the yellow lines. The time stamp on the text and on the 911 call reporting the crash were the same, which would indicate only a matter seconds between the text and the crash, Ortiz-Moreno said. A motorist behind his son saw the crash.

Ortiz-Moreno said he’s thankful the 17-year-old driving the vehicle his son crashed into was not hurt.

He hopes to use the tragic loss of his son for good by educating others and impacting driving laws.

Ortiz-Moreno noted that his son had Bluetooth in his car but chose to text instead.

“Life’s too short,” said Ortiz-Moreno, who formerly worked in the cellular phone industry. “Don’t take the risk of losing your own life.”

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 7:50 PM with the headline "He sent a text to his fiancee that he was ‘almost there.’ He never made it.."