Deadly crash prompts GDOT to add signage on dangerous exit ramp

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — After a deadly crash involving a teenager, a south metro city is asking the Georgia Department of Transportation to step in and make changes to an exit ramp that many consider dangerous.

Cristina Pavon-Baker, 17, crashed on Interstate 75 in Morrow during "Senior Skip Day" in March. The wreck killed her friend, Mikayla Penn, 18.

"It was a horrible day," said Chief James Callaway, Morrow Police Department.

"It was a horrible crash; a lot of pain and suffering," said Chief Roger Swint, Morrow Fire Department.

Callaway and Swint were on the scene the day Georgia State Patrol says Pavon-Baker was speeding as she exited the I-75 northbound exit 233 ramp to Morrow.

Officers said Pavon-Baker missed the curve and kept going into the wooded area where she crashed, killing Penn.

Within 24 hours of the crash, another car left the roadway at the same location. The car landed on its roof, and a person was extricated through the back window, according to officials.

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The exit is where many drivers continue straight into the wooded area instead of turning once they get to the curve. Clayton County has agreed to place additional signs on the ramp, alerting drivers about the curve ahead.

Emergency responders hope additional signage will prevent more crashes and loss of life.

"We don't want to go to scenes like that. That's what we're trying to prevent," said Callaway.

The crashes are why the chiefs asked the Department of Transportation to make changes.

The state says it has only recorded 31 crashes on the ramp in the last 5 years, but the fire chiefs said it's not the number of crashes, it’s how severe they are.

"Most of them involve speed, and so the cars will flip and normally hit the trees," said Swint.

The additional signs will be added in the coming weeks.

Cox Media Group