Hamilton’s last mercy flight was to Philadelphia with an energetic five–year–old named Abigail Driggers. Abigail injured her spine in a car accident because she was not wearing a shoulder belt to accompany her lap belt. Now, she is paraplegic and restricted to a wheelchair.

Abigail enjoys an outdoor lunch

According to Hamilton, Abigail has an irrepressible spirit that shines through in her every action. “She’s just a little bubbly glass of champagne,” he said. When they arrived in Philadelphia, “She captivated everybody at the hospital,” Hamilton said. The response she received there and her cheerfulness in general gave Hamilton an idea – an idea that couldn’t help Abigail, but could save countless others.

It is Hamilton’s intention to use Abigail as a seat belt poster child to get meaningful seat belt legislation passed. Last year such legislation was addressed in the SC Senate. If passed, the law would have allowed officers to issue seat belt citations as primary violations. Currently, the officers can only issue these citations as secondary violations.

Hamilton has sent emails to all members of the SC Senate about Abigail and is planning for Abigail to make appearances at some Senate meetings. He hopes that Abigail will touch lawmakers’ hearts like she has touched his. And if this happens, perhaps the new seat belt legislation won’t be pushed aside again.

Abigail’s mother, Donna Driggers, is excited about the possibility of Abigail being a seat belt poster child. “Anything to bring awareness to seat belt laws is so important,” Driggers said. “If we can save even one child or parent from this, it will be worth it.”

Driggers is continually amazed by her daughter’s fortitude. “For a child who has gone through six operations in eight months, she’s just amazing. Her entire view of life is still the same. She’s an inspiration to all of us.”