Gwinnett County

Beloved Buford teacher, track coach suffers major injuries in car crash with 1-year-old daughter

BUFORD, Ga. — A Gwinnett County school community is rallying around a teacher and coach who was seriously hurt in a car crash.

Ryan Woodworth and his 1-year-old daughter were driving down Lee Street and Buford Drive around 8 a.m. on Feb. 3 when they collided with another car.

Luckily, the little girl only had scrapes and bruises. Ryan Woodworth had broken bones all over his body, including both hands and both arms.

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Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson spoke to his mother, Stacey Woodworth, on Wednesday.

She said his hospital room is filled with cards from his students at Buford Academy.

“That’s really lifted him up a lot for when his wife reads the cards to him,” Stacey Woodworth said.

She said he was heading to the store the morning of the crash.

“Ryan can’t remember anything,” she said.

In the days since, the track coach has been learning how to walk again.

“He was ready to go check on his track team the other day,” she said. “We’re not there yet, but he’s ready.”

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The Buford City Schools community has rallied to raise more than $22,000 online for the Woodworth family.

“It’s been overwhelming how the community has stepped up,” Stacey Woodworth said.

Between faith and community, Woodworth’s family says they have no doubt he will be able to get back on track.

“He’s determined to get back to where he was before the accident,” she said.

Ryan Woodworth has already gone through several surgeries and procedures at Grady Memorial Hospital and will soon enter a rehab center.

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