On Monday, a 68-year-old Ohio woman was killed in a car accident at the intersection of U.S. 50 and Rapid Forge Road. Just one day before the fatal accident, she went on Facebook to post a message about that very intersection. She wrote, "Turning left off Rapid Forge onto 50 is dangerous too ... the tall weeds blocks your view."

According to an investigation of the accident, the woman was turning left onto U.S. 50 from Rapid Forge Road, when her Chevrolet pulled into the path of a Mazda truck just before 5 p.m. on Monday.

The Mazda truck driven by a 28-year-old man hit the Chevrolet and overturned before coming to rest on its wheels. According to a witness who was driving behind the woman's Chevrolet, the driver of the Mazda truck had swerved to avoid the Chevrolet, but could not avoid the vehicle.

As rescue personnel attempted to free her from the wreckage, the 68-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. A 68-year-old passenger in the Chevrolet suffered cuts to his face, but refused medical treatment. The driver of the Mazda needed to be taken to Greenfield Medical Center, but was later released after receiving treatment there.

The nature of the crash and the woman's prophetic message will leave many readers asking: did high vegetation play a role in the crash? A representative of the Ohio Department of Transportation has said that the Department had not received any complaints about grass or weed growth at the intersection at the time of the accident. However, two complaints were registered after the accident.

The sheriff's deputy who was at the scene indicated that the weeds did not appear to be tall enough to obstruct the view of the intersection. However, the county sheriff said he plans to speak with the deputy to see if high vegetation contributed to the accident.

When Ohio Department of Transportation arrived at the scene on Tuesday morning, they reported that there did not appear to be any issues with sight distance at the intersection. However, a man who lived in the area had already taken it upon himself to cut the grass at the intersection that morning because he feared for the safety of his relatives who use that intersection on a regular basis.

Source: The Chillicothe Gazette, "Sandra Weaver posted concern about U.S. 50 crossing on Facebook a day before fatal crash," Aug. 3, 2011