Toney Lineberry spent the night of his junior prom on life support after breaking his neck in a car accident.

His senior prom, he sat in a wheelchair crying as he watched everyone else dance.

They're sobering images for today's teens getting ready to celebrate the end of the school year.

Especially Lineberry's own children.

"It's hard to see him talk about it," said 15-year-old Don. "You can see him struggling to say the words."

Don, his brother, Anthony, and sister, Amanda, watched their father talk about his ordeal during a highway safety presentation at Lee-Davis High School this month. The triplets, all sophomores, have heard the message a million times before. But this time, it had more impact.

"Our peers were all around us," Anthony said. "They were really listening. I know what he is doing makes a difference."

. . .

Lineberry, 48, travels to about 35 schools across the country each year to encourage teenagers to buckle up, never drink and drive and avoid using a cell phone behind the wheel.

Since 1981, he has shared his story with more than 2 million people in 36 states and Canada. But this was the first time his children were part of the crowd.

"I was more nervous than usual," Lineberry said. "Usually, when I speak to a group, I don't know any of the people. This time was different."

Lineberry was the undefeated captain of his high school wrestling team in 1978 when he defied his parents and drove his flashy red Mustang to a party on a cold, wet January night. He was driving too fast when his car skidded across a patch of ice on Parham Road. The vehicle flipped four times before coming to rest upside down in a ravine.

After a year in the hospital, Lineberry returned to school and graduated. He began touring the country to implore teenagers to drive safe and drive smart. After the triplets were born, he cut back on his travels and returned to school, graduating from Randolph-Macon College and then the University of Virginia with a law degree. He is an adjunct professor at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

. . .

He still finds time to visit high schools. He spoke at Patrick Henry High School last week and heads to Hanover High at the end of the month.

"Before when I spoke, I was speaking from the perspective of someone who has been where they are now," Lineberry said. "Now, I speak from a dual perspective."

And from the heart.

"There is no way you can know right now how much your parents love you," he said emotionally to the Lee-Davis students. "They love you so much that sometimes they have to say 'no.'"

Amanda just got her learner's permit. Her brothers will have theirs soon. The first thing they do when they get in any car? Buckle up, of course.

"We've been hearing Dad say it for 15 years," Anthony said. "It's become second nature."

Contact Janet Caggiano at (804) 649-6157 or jcaggiano@timesdispatch.com.