OLYMPIA -- What is just one of many math equations to consider for state lawmakers is a matter of life or death for one father whose worst nightmare nearly came true last weekend.

David Fretz nearly lost his daughter to a crash on Highway 2 last weekend. Shannon Fretz was riding in a sports utility vehicle when it crashed.

Shannon survived the crash with two shattered legs, but 17-year-old Thomas Turner was killed in the crash.

Shannon is still receiving treatment at the hospital, eating through a feeding tube.

David said Shannon's life was saved, but it has been flipped upside down. Her chance of her playing college softball are all but gone, he said.

"Right now, just walking in 3 months would be a good deal for her. That's tough when somebody takes that opportunity away from her," he said. "How do you put money to that opportunity?"

Devastated by his daughter's loss, David is searching for answers.

"My daughter is going to be 18 on Saturday. It's tough for her," he said. "There has to be a reason why the accident occurred. The road has to play a part in that."

The state is aware of the highway's nickname -- "the highway of death."

The state has been counting the money for more than a year. An 18-month study by the DOT found it will take at least $2 billion to widen Highway 2 to four lanes.

So far the state has come up with $3.6 million, just enough to install rumble strips in the median between Monroe and Stevens Pass. The strips are just one of the 56 items on a state safety checklist.

"None of the projects yet have funding behind them. But the list can help towards that goal."

But the answer's not good enough for David Fretz.

"How many people have to die before you actually do something to fix the roads around here?" he said.

Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, the chairperson of the state Senate Transportation
Committee, told KOMO 4 News that Highway 2 is a priority. But, she said, coming up with $2 billion all at once is not realistic.

Haugen said the Legislature will find the money to improve the road one item at a time.