DRY RIDGE, Ky. (WCPO) — Six years ago Tracy Clark got the call. “The first words I heard were, ‘Tracy, Courtney is dead.’”
Her daughter had been driving home from work after a late shift when she dosed off on New Delhi Pike, near Cincinnati. Her car veered off the road and slammed into an ambulance. That was September of 2013. Four years later the National Traffic Highway Safety Association reported 91,000 crashes during 2017 could be attributed to drowsy driving. And the NTSB estimates that driving while drowsy can be the equivalent of having a blood alcohol level of .05, (.08 is a standard level for being considered drunk).
Now it’s a little more than six years since Tracy lost her daughter and she’s attempting to turn her tragedy into something positive.
“I want to make a difference somehow, and in some way. And it helps keep me focused,” Tracy told WCPO while taking a break from work. She’s been on a mission to help raise money for the Grant County Animal Shelter, which is exactly what Courtney would’ve wanted. “Anytime we’d see a stray she’d say, ‘Mom, can we keep him?’”
Tracy also offers a piece of advice if you ever encounter someone who might be a little too tired to drive. “If you’re tired, or see someone who’s tired, ask them if you can get them an Uber, or offer to take them home, or suggest that maybe they need to pull over,” she said.
If only someone had made the same offer to Courtney six years ago. “I miss her, I miss her a lot,” Tracy said. “I look forward to the day I can see her again.”
