Construction Planned For Folsom Lake Crossing Prior To Fatal Crash
FOLSOM (CBS13) - Three people died Tuesday in a head-on car crash near the Folsom Dam. The fatal crash on Folsom Lake Crossing has sparked questions regarding the roadway that neighbors say hasn't been safe for years.
Folsom Lake Crossing was built in 2009 over post-Oklahoma City bombing security concerns that Folsom dam could be a national target.
Jason Jackson, a Folsom native, says the roadway has been dangerous ever since.
"At the top of the hill, it's a really sharp 90-degree turn, so you get a lot of headlight glare. You've got cars flying up and down," he said.
Jacob Lee Slaugh, 30, of Roseville, was identified as one of the people killed in the crash.
"You can't put a price tag on life," Jackson said.
Tuesday's fatal crash wasn't the Folsom Lake Crossing's first fatal car crash. So what's the city doing to fix the problem? CBS13 reached out to the City of Folsom for answers. They admit they have received funding to improve roadways.
And according to the California Department of Transportation, the funding was awarded in March 2021. The city received more than $1 million from the highway safety improvement program for several projects throughout the city, including Folsom Lake Crossing, to construct median barriers and install speed warning signs.
"Bottom line is if we had the money allocated to put a barrier up to save people, we probably should have done it when we had the funds available," Jackson said.
According to the Department of Transportation, the project has three years to be completed, but the city hasn't even started construction.
"In any accident like this, you can sue anybody for any type of negligence, if they have notice it's a dangerous road," said Sacramento Attorney Mark Reichel.
Reichel says Folsom could face serious consequences for not acting faster.
"There was funding to change this road in a three-year period, yet nothing's been done," he said.
According to Folsom police, one car did cross the center line colliding with the second vehicle, but Reichel says it's possible the driver is not the only one in trouble.
"Even though, someone goes through one lane of traffic, if that's something a barricade would have prevented, then you can make an argument to sue," he said.
CBS13 did make an attempt to reach the families of the victims involved, but we have not heard back. Folsom declined our interview request but the city says it plasn to begin construction this year.
