From pain to purpose: Mother of Yorktown teen crash victim receives national honor for safe driving advocacy efforts

YORKTOWN, Va. (WAVY) — The mother of a Yorktown teen who was killed in a crash in 2019 is being recognized on a national level for her work to advocate for safe driving.

Tammy Guido McGee’s 16-year-old son, Conner, was headed home from his school’s homecoming dance on Oct. 26, 2019 when the crash happened.

“He hopped into the vehicle with an underage, unlicensed teenager,” Guido McGee said.

The vehicle he was in was heading east on Yorktown Road when it crashed. All three teens, including Conner, died at the scene.

“It took a while to get ourselves together, and we decided we had to do something,” she said. “We had to stand up and fight. We had to make sure that what happened to Conner wouldn’t happen to anyone else.”

She founded the Gweedo Memorial Foundation in Conner’s honor to help educate teens and their parents about the dangers of destructive driving decisions.

They also launched the ‘If You See Something Say Something’ website for people to give anonymous tips to. However, she explained, their biggest accomplishments have happened on a statewide level.

“We passed two bills in the state of Virginia, which we’re very proud of,” she said. “One geared towards teen safety in the parking lot, the other geared towards parent involvement.”

Guido McGee said she was recently recognized for her efforts by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association in September.

She received the Peter K. O’Rourke Special Achievement Award , which is given to those who have made a notable difference in the field of highway safety.

She called it an honor as she continues to carry on her son’s legacy.

“I’d like to think that Conner is really proud of me,” she said. “I really believe that he is. I don’t think that anybody would want this kind of attention, especially in the negative way that it happened, but I know that he understands as a mother and the love that I have for him, that I’m just continuing to take care of him in death, just as I did in life, until I can see him again.”

You can find more information about ‘If You See Something Say Something’ here and Conners Foundation here.

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