All Shannon Hamilton wanted was to prevent anyone else from the pain he’s endured since his 16-year-old daughter died.
Gravel, guardrails or concrete barriers would be fine, anything that would prevent another car from plunging off a White County bridge. And when the county didn't do it fast enough, Hamilton even got arrested for trying to do it himself.
On Wednesday, he got his wish. The Gene Nix Road bridge was lined with heavy concrete dividers while engineers help the county determine a more permanent solution.
"Bammmm!!!!! Thank you everyone for your support," Hamilton posted on his Facebook page. "This is what #bringit4cec is all about!!!!"
The hashtag and motto is part of an organization Hamilton created after the March death of his daughter, Cecily Mcree Hamilton. The varsity cheerleader was riding in a car with her boyfriend, Taylor Scott Swing, when the car left the roadway and fell into a creek below. The car sank, killing Cecily and 18-year-old Taylor.
A month after the crash, nothing had been done to prevent it from happening again.
“Since the accident, I had reached out to the White County road department and pleaded with them on what it would take to get guardrails up,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said he couldn’t just sit back and wait, and on Sunday, he decided to take care of it himself. But as he began to create a berm on the bridge, he was arrested by White County deputies.
The county is awaiting an engineering report, which may be ready later this week, before proceeding with plans to construct guardrails, county manager Mike Melton said Monday afternoon. There is no exact timetable for when the construction will begin, he said.
Even though they are temporary, the concrete barriers placed along the bridge Wednesday should prevent a similar wreck in the area. But the barriers were too late for Hamilton’s daughter and her boyfriend.
“It could have been prevented if the county had done something sooner,” Hamilton said.
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