BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- She was 15 years old, a high school cheerleader and a gymnast who loved to dance. But, in an instant, Sarah Sager lost the ability to do the things she loved most and nearly lost her life.

It was a horrific car collision -- and it could have been prevented.

We first told you Sarah's amazing survivor story Thursday night. Now, we take a look at how that accident led to changes that may prevent others from going through the same suffering.

“People hit these, yeah, you might flip over and damage your car, but you're not going head-on or straight into this traffic," Sarah said. "You still have your life."

And that's something Sarah nearly lost five years ago this month. Sarah was the passenger in a car that hydroplaned and lost control on I-64 before cable barriers were installed on that stretch of interstate.

"We crossed the median and a semi was coming down the highway. It tried to miss us, but we collided right there at the 15-mile marker," Sarah said.

The car flew through the median one mile short of cable barriers that were already in place. Sarah was trapped in the SUV, fighting for her life for 45 minutes.

“We ended up using two sets of jaws and a third machine. We took the car apart, pulled off the top and rolled up the dashboard," said Paul Hockenberry, assistant chief for the Barboursville Volunteer Fire Department.

Paul was in charge of the scene that day.

"The car was hit so hard, her right leg was between the door and the fender. It had opened it up," Paul said.

Sarah suffered broken bones in her leg, ankle, arms and big toe. She even lost her front teeth. Sarah's family feared she might never be the same again.

"The femur was like a broken plate on the X-ray. As those muscles got used, they tightened around the piece of bone, and she was in severe, severe pain," said Beth Sager, Sarah’s mother.

Sarah has done more than make a full recovery -- she is stronger and more determined than ever.

"I feel like it was another chance from God," Sarah said. "He gave me another chance. There's a reason I'm still here."

Sarah wasn't alone. The stretch of highway witnessed other accidents that summer, at least one fatal. It was enough to prompt the state to extend the cable barriers through what had become a deadly stretch of highway.

"Sarah's accident certainly got people's attention and made them say, 'Hey, we need to do something,'" said Paul.

There is no telling how many lives the barriers have saved. But, Paul said his crew is working far fewer fatalities now that the cables are here.

Sarah is now a senior at Elon University in North Carolina. She's spending her summer back home, interning for us at WSAZ. Ironically, two of Sarah's friends have had similar accidents on that same stretch of I-64. However, because the barriers are now there, they both walked away with only minor injuries.

The WV Department of Highways said the decision to install new barriers is based on the number of accidents in the area.