CLEVELAND — Ashley Shaw described herself as fearless, active, and social.

“Kind of feels like I lost the person that I was the second that the crash happened,” said Shaw.

And then silence.

“And I don’t remember anything for like a month after,” she said.

What You Need To Know

  • According to the National Safety Council, nearly 40,000 people lose their lives each year on the road

  • There’s an effort underway nationwide that is calling on President Joe Biden to commit to Zero Traffic Deaths by 2050

  • Biden himself has a personal connection to this issue — his first wife and infant daughter were killed in a car crash in 1972

Shaw is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivor, and she also struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“Your body thinks like it doesn’t know that it’s safe yet. So, it’s still reacting as if it’s in danger,” said Shaw.

All because of a crash at the intersection of Lorain and Fulton in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.

“It really does impact like every element of your life," she said.

For 10 years, Shaw’s main mode of transportation was her bicycle. In September 2017, a distracted driver hit her while she was riding her bike about a block away from her home.

“I felt like a cartoon character like sitting in the middle of the intersection with like stars and like stuff flying around my head,” said Shaw.

The 36 year old hasn’t been the same since. Looking back, one of the scariest parts is she unknowingly walked home and went to bed with a brain bleed.

“I wasn’t thinking. I had no — zero thoughts, like nothing was happening inside my head. I was just, it was silent,” said Shaw.

Fear and guilt dominated her feelings as she processed what happened. She was in constant physical and mental pain.

“You constantly wonder like why did I survive when more people that have what happened to me don't survive than do,” she said.

TBI is a major cause of death and disability in the United States that impacts thousands of people a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The two major causes are falls and car crashes.

Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of Traumatic Brain Injury-related hospitalizations for people ages 15 to 44, according to the CDC. 

“We talk a lot about how tragic it is when somebody dies in like a traffic crash, but when you have a brain injury, like most of those symptoms are invisible,” said Shaw.

For Shaw, life is quieter and slower now. Opening up about her experience, leaning on her support system, and finding holistic treatments have helped her cope and heal.

Today, she rides her bike on safe streets.

As an urban planner at Ohio City Incorporated, Shaw works to improve traffic safety and transportation in her community.

“Very personal job to me now,” she said.

The Cleveland-area native decided to reclaim the day that changed her life by planning a trip or something to look forward to each year. Shaw said Sept. 15 is now almost like a second birthday.

“It’s just a very special day for me. So, I always try to do something to honor that and think about how far I’ve come,” she said.

Shaw is also advocating for traffic safety through a national group called “Families for Safe Streets.” In fact, she is one of many calling on President Joe Biden to commit to Zero Traffic Deaths by 2050.

Biden himself has a personal connection to this issue. His first wife and infant daughter were killed in a car crash in 1972.​​