Former firefighter Brendan Lyons, whose career was cut short when he was struck by a distracted driver while bicycling, is fighting for a statewide texting and driving ban in Arizona.

Lyons founded the Arizona chapter of the nonprofit Look! Save a Life in 2012 after his work responding to distracted driving incidents inspired him to raise awareness for the cause, which soon became personal for him.

“In a sad twist of irony, almost a year later, I went out for a bike ride with my girlfriend on the morning of her birthday … and a motorist at 45 mph looked down at his cellphone to see who’s calling, drifted into the bike lane and struck us both from behind,” he told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.

Lyons said he suffered spine and pelvis fractures and was treated for a traumatic brain injury, which ended his days as a firefighter.