I-Team: Most Dangerous Intersections In Massachusetts
BOSTON (CBS) - Do know where the state's most dangerous intersections are?
They are the worst of the worst and the I-Team found they are ground zero for hundreds of injuries year after year.
"I think my head hit the windshield and I flew 20 yards from the cross walk and I slid on face," says 15-year-old Kelvin Savanhmixay of Lowell, who now has metal plates in his head.
He was run down in 2009 at a busy Lowell intersection. And it is not just any intersection. It is the most dangerous in the state.
It is where Route 113 and School Street meet. And it retains that dubious distinction today.
CHECK: Most Dangerous Intersections (Download List)
"That was a really scary day for me," says Kelvin. "I thought I was gonna die."
Sadly, little has changed since that day. In fact in 2010, 42 more people left there in ambulances.
We asked Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey why nothing has been done.
"Well, obviously the answer is these things take time, but the answer really is something needs to be done," he told WBZ-TV.
A driver in Lowell put it this way.
"I hope they do it soon because we have two hospitals here that are pretty busy."
The I-Team found the state knows exactly where these terrible intersections are.
Each year, they tracks the number of crashes in order to make decisions about where to spend millions of taxpayer dollars.
The second worst intersection in the state looks innocent enough.
It is where Route 28 crosses Chickatawbut Road in the Blue Hills section of Milton.
In 2010, 73 crashes there sent 40 people to emergency rooms.
Michael Thompson is one of those statistics. Today he owns a commuter rail pass.
"At the wrong time of the day it can be frightening."
I asked, "So now you won't come this way anymore?"
"Yes, in part yes, the whole thing is very stressful."
The state has made improvements in Milton but real change requires tens of millions of dollars blasting bedrock and taking back park land.
"If the interim improvements don't result in a reduction of crashes then we will have to look at the more expensive solutions," State Highway Administrator Frank DePaola told WBZ.
And then there is the intersection of Routes 135 and 126 in Framingham.
It is a nightmare unless you own the body shop nearby.
Robert DeCollibus does. He says, "I am guessing we see 25 to 30 wrecks but that is not including the other 40-50 that go to other body shops."
With 90 crashes in 2010, the Framingham intersection actually finishes 13th on the danger list but could be number one when it comes to dollars needed to fix it.
Today there is a plan to a build a $120 million bridge in order to erase the intersection.
The sad truth is transportation officials say there simply is not enough money to fix all the trouble spots.
The I-Team showed you three, the state has a list of 200.
