A recent survey found nearly a third of teen drivers have texted while driving — but after a catastrophic wreck that nearly cost him his life, one Texas college student says he’ll never do it again, and he’s imploring others to follow his lead.

Six months ago, 21-year-old Chance Bothe of Houston was driving home and having a text conversation with a friend at the same time. Bothe, aware that what he was doing was dangerous, finally sent a message saying, “I need to quit texting because I could die in a car accident…”

Moments later, his truck plunged off a bridge and crashed into a ravine 35 feet below. He suffered a broken neck, a crushed face, a fractured skull and traumatic brain injuries.

“[He died] three times,” his father, Bobby, said about the hours after his son’s accident. “They brought him back.”

After months of rehabilitation during which he’s had to learn to walk and talk all over again, Chance is about 80 percent recovered. “I’m very lucky that I’m not gone forever,” he said. “I still have things to do in this world.”

And his message to people who text and drive?

“They just need to understand don’t do it. Don’t do it. It’s not worth losing your life. I went to my grandmother’s funeral not long ago. And I kept thinking … I’m surprised that’s not me up in that casket. I came very close to being gone forever.”

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