SHELBY — Josh Boggs is determined to turn his family’s fatal highway tragedy into a positive for the community.
It appears the Shelby man will be successful.
Richland County engineer Adam Gove said Friday morning his office and the Ohio Department of Transportation are working on a combined effort to install rumble strips on Ganges-Five Points Road on both sides of the intersection with Ohio 96.
That’s the site of the fatal May 5 crash that resulted in the death of two of Boggs’ children and the loss of his unborn child. His son is recovering from an injured spine, but still has no movement in his left leg. Boggs’ wife, Stacey, remains in a coma at OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital.
Despite the personal losses, Boggs has been outspoken since the accident that the rural intersection of the county road and state highway must be made safer.
“We should all be cheering (about the improvements),” Boggs said Friday morning. “I can bury myself in grief or do all I can to make absolute most of an opportunity to do something for the community.
“I want this to be a story of achievement. If we work together … the community has stood up … voices were heard … my girls will be remembered … their deaths will have a purpose … they will not just fall by the wayside,” Boggs said.
THE PLAN: Gove has worked on the issue with ODOT since the fatal crash, the second fatality at the intersection since 2004. He said there are not a large number of accidents at the site, but the ones that do occur are usually more severe.
“Anytime there is a fatality, ODOT and my office will take a harder look at the intersection to see what can be done,” Gove said.
Making the effort more challenging is the fact the intersection is the combined responsibility of the state and county.
Adding rumble strips will also require converting into asphalt about 1,000 feet of the chip-and-seal surface of Ganges-Five Points Road on each side of the intersection with Ohio 96.
“If we install rumble strips into chip-and-seal, they won’t last very long,” Gove said, adding that officials will likely install about three sets of strips starting where the “stop ahead” signs are located — about two-tenths of a mile north and south of the highway.
Gove said no decision has been made on possibly lighting the signs at and near the intersection, which are already the largest such signs used by the county and state.
The engineer said no time frame for the work has been set, but he hopes to have the work done this summer.
COOPERATION: Boggs, who visits his wife in the hospital daily, said he continues to be amazed by the outpouring of community support. Fundraisers on behalf of his family continue, including a pancake breakfast Saturday morning at his church, the Shenandoah Christian Church.
“I wanted to find a way to get everyone together, people helping. No one has pointed fingers. No one has been fighting. We are getting things done in record time,” Boggs said.
“I think people are sick of all the political garbage. They are ready for some good and that’s what we are trying to do here.”
The 42-year-old Boggs, who has a deep faith in God, knows there is much healing still to do — physically, mentally and spiritually.
“I am walking. I am alive. My wife is still unconscious. She has had a brain infection, which they seem to have under control. She is showing some reactions. Every day is a little better. My son has been fitted for his brace so he can start therapy soon.
“All of us need strong prayer. We all have issues we need to work through,” Boggs said. “We are seeing an entire community come together like we haven’t seen in years.
“People had forgotten how to be good to each other. The veil is being lifted.”
