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By Chandler Inions

Dec. 22, 2024 was a normal day for Lee Goforth and his daughter Zanna of Gold Hill.
They were returning from breakfast, a regular occurrence for the duo, but then everything changed when a truck turned in front.
“I was coming back from breakfast,” Goforth said. “I take my daughter to eat breakfast. We were coming back and a guy turned in front of us going into Lentz (General Store) and hit us.”
That’s the last thing that he remembered until he woke up three weeks later in the hospital.
The impact was brutal. The dashboard essentially caved in, totaling their Honda CR-V and leaving Zanna with a broken leg. Goforth’s injuries were even more severe. In addition to breaking both of his legs, he sustained a traumatic brain injury, which has had lingering effects on his mental recovery.
“He had several brain bleeds. He had staples in his head and stitches in his hand,” said Amanda Jackson, Goforth’s girlfriend of 11 years and Zanna’s mother.
Both Zanna and Goforth were transported to Winston-Salem. Zanna was taken to Brenners Children’s Hospital, while Goforth was treated at Baptist. Zanna, who broke both her tibia and fibula, required rods to set the breaks. Goforth needed rods placed in his legs, too. However, he also required additional treatment.
“He was in ICU for a while,” Jackson said. “He was transferred to a regular room. With fasciotomy, they have to keep flushing them out to keep them clean and to make sure the blood flow is going.”
A fasciotomy is a surgical procedure where the fascia is cut to relieve tension or pressure in order to treat the resulting loss of circulation to an area of tissue or muscle.
“They were able to fix his left femur shortly after the surgery because he broke it, but he was losing a lot of blood,” Jackson said.
To give an idea of the force of the impact, the femur is the longest and strongest bone in the body. The injuries were not just physical but mental as well. As a result of Zanna’s experience, she is now suffering from post-traumatic stress, at times, worried about riding in the car and sensitive to loud noises.
She goes to school at Christ the King Christian Academy in New London and Jackson said that they have been very helpful and considerate of the incident, working with the family to ensure as smooth a recovery process as possible for all of them.
A member of Christ the King Christian Academy has even taken steps to raise funding to offset medical costs for the family. Jackson said that as of their last statement, they owe more than half a million for all the treatment and hospitalization.
“With just his Baptist hospital stay, he’s up to $642,000 and that’s not including the ambulance, that’s not including rehab, that’s not including what he just got discharged from,” Jackson said. “Just our daughter, with her stuff, was $91,000.”
Since the accident was determined to be the other driver’s fault, ultimately, their insurance should cover the costs, but Jackson said it’s still a heavy matter weighing on their minds as they try to focus their energy on Zanna and Goforth’s recovery.

Jackson indicated that working with the medical centers and professionals has been frustrating on top of all that they are going through.
“He was discharged from rehab, and they didn’t even want to send a wheelchair home with him,” she said. “He was at home with no wound care, no physical therapy, no speech therapy, no occupational therapy, no wheelchair, nothing.”
Despite the setbacks and obstacles, Goforth remains optimistic and grateful for Jackson’s care.
“So getting turned down on stuff all the time, like no physical therapy was approved, and then no home therapy, wound care wasn’t approved,” Goforth said. “So if it wasn’t for her fighting for it, I wouldn’t have got it.”
Goforth has made a name for himself around Rowan County and beyond. He works for himself in HVAC repair and other handyman roles.
Jackson said they’ve relied on prayers as well and have felt the community’s prayers throughout.
The family has seen an outpouring of additional support from members of the community too. Friends of the family have laid a gravel driveway and helped build a wheelchair ramp to get Goforth in and out of the home.
While they may live in Gold Hill, with Zanna at Christ the King Christian Academy and Jackson working for Stanly County Schools, much of their lives and friends are across the county line.
Several of those friends are pitching in with the fundraising efforts. They have organized a chicken plate fundraiser for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 28 at Millingport Volunteer Fire Department.
“Our daughter’s best friend’s father is the chief at that fire department,” Jackson said.
Tickets can be purchased at Frog Pond Performance in Oakboro, Deese Electric in Albemarle, Livi Bugs Boutique in Albemarle and Lakeside Food Mart in Albemarle. In Rowan County, ticket locations are Tamarac Marine, Lentz’s General Store and Johnny’s BBQ in Rockwall.
Plates include a quarter chicken, slaw, chips, bread, dessert and BBQ sauce. Delivery is available for 10 or more plates.
Racheal Fahy, another family friend, is working with Christ the King Christian Academy and can be contacted directly for tickets. Her number is 704-467-9043.

Chandler Inions is editor of The Salisbury Post.