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Teen crash survivor gets state's attention trying to fix dangerous intersection

The solution suggested by the Georgia Department of Transportation isn't what she wants, but she and her family suggest it's a step in the right direction.

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A teen driver has taken her plea to the state after she was nearly killed in a collision at a dangerous intersection.

Zoe Ordway and her friends are campaigning for safety improvements, and the state is actually agreeing with them - to a point.

The 16-year-old cross-country athlete from West Forsyth High School knows the difference between a sprint and a marathon. Her fight, now, for others, is the latter.

"I think that they [the state] will kind of just get tired of people getting hurt, like everyone else is, and just make a change that will help everyone," Ordway said.

It was this past August when Zoe was nearly killed in a collision while driving to cross-country practice. She was t-boned while trying to turn left onto busy Post Road from Bentley Road.

Credit: Family photo
Zoe Ordway, 16, was driving to cross country practice on Monday when she was broadsided by a pick-up truck while trying to turn on to Post Road from Bentley Road in Forsyth County.

She's not alone. The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said there's a collision at the intersection every month or two on average.

So, while Ordway has been recovering, she and her friends and others in the community have, so far, convinced the state that they're right. The Georgia Department of Transportation studied the intersection and now agrees with them that it's dangerous - but not dangerous enough for a traffic light.

Instead, the state is going to rebuild the concrete median to prevent left turns onto Post Road. The goal is to try and reduce the number of t-bone collisions like Ordway's.

The teen and her family say it's not enough of a fix - just a bandage on the problem. But they also say it's a step in the right direction.

Credit: Family photo
Zoe Ordway

"I don't want any of these kind of accidents to happen in the future," she said. "I was lucky enough to have gotten out of mine with how bad it was. I don't want someone to get killed in an accident, because I think it's only a matter of time that that could possibly happen."

So, this warrior fights on. In a week, there will be a community meeting with the state DOT to keep the pressure on to do more. The next leg of Ordway's marathon is to improve safety there for all - once and for all.

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