Neighbor Says South Sacramento Road No Stranger To Crashes
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A deadly collision in South Sacramento left one man dead and a child in the hospital.
It happened Friday afternoon on Hedge Avenue near Florin Road.
"I drive down there to go to work every day, and I'm concerned every day," said Brian Heaps, who lives on Hedge Avenue.
Just after 3:15 p.m., a white sedan was headed northbound on Hedge Avenue, about 500 feet north of Florin Road. Suddenly, the driver drifted into the southbound lane and hit a dump truck head on.
"For unknown reasons, the driver just swerved into the opposing lane," said Sgt. Sean Kent, California Highway Patrol. "We don't know why."
The 53-year-old male driving the car died after the crash. But in the back seat, a small child was alive and trapped inside.
"There was actually a couple bystanders that stopped and helped, one of which broke the window out with a large rock and pulled the child from the vehicle," Sgt. Kent said. "The child was, of course, upset; he was conscious and awake."
The child was rushed to a nearby hospital.
CBS13 spoke to the truck driver, who was visibly upset and had injuries to his wrists. He wouldn't speak on camera but said he slammed on his brakes when he noticed the car coming towards him. He told CBS13 it happened in seconds.
After 15 years on Hedge Avenue, this isn't the first fatality Heaps has seen.
"We've had three accidents where people are going over 100 miles per hour and they hit these bumps at the intersections, where there's stop signs," Heaps explained. "And then they lose control."
Heaps told CBS13 that there have been more accidents in the last few years, since more street lights and traffic moved into the neighborhood. He and his fellow neighbors say people use this street and other nearby roads to race cars and drive way over the speed limit.
"Unfortunately it's a 55-mile-an-hour country road," he said. "Maybe it should be taken down to 45.
