Two Florida brothers have come up with a creative, and touching, way to warn drivers about what they believe is a defect in early-model Ford Explorers.
Ryan and Gregory Miller's mother Nicole died in a rollover in 2004 after getting a flat tire in their family SUV. Her boys have since grown into talented musicians, and with the help of their dad, made a music video that both celebrates their mother and warns others about the cause of her death.
The boys' remake of Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" features nostalgic video of their mother playing with her young sons. It also includes shots of the boys performing the track, both vocally and on the piano, and handwritten Bristol-board warnings about the dangers of the early-model Explorer.
"My mom had a flat tire in this car… And it rolled over," reads one of the signs.
"If you own this car, please stop driving it. You could get hurt. There are still many of these cars on the road. Our goal is to save someone's life," read others.
Speaking with CTV's Canada AM on Friday, Ryan said putting the video brought him closer to his mother, since he was quite young when she died.
"I don't remember much, but when I watch some of the old videos I have found, it makes me feel like I know her better," he said.
Since it was posted on Jan. 9, the video has gone viral online. It has attracted a lot of media attention, landing the Boynton Beach, Fla. brothers on talk shows hosted by Rosie O'Donnell and Anderson Cooper.
"We're in our own world and we get called by these big, cool TV shows like you guys and it's really awesome," Greg told Canada AM. "It's pretty cool to see your video on TV."
When asked what he hopes to gain from the video, he said they were hoping to help other families avoid tragedy.
"We don't want you guys to get hurt and lose someone," Greg said.
A statement issued by Ford this week said the company is "familiar with the tragic accident." It said that while the company feels sympathy for the family, it's inappropriate for them to comment further as the case is before the courts.
