Problem Intersection Causes Headaches For Neighbors As They Near 25 Accidents At Same Location
CITRUS HEIGHTS (CBS13) — It's been the site of repeated crashes for years, and now a stretch of road in Citrus Heights is leaving neighbors feeling helpless.
The accidents are happening at the intersection of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Old Auburn Road, and while some are finding comic relief with clever signs counting the wrecks, others fear their homes and lives are in danger.
"It happens all the time," said resident Mike Botica.
Signs have been posted as each crash occurs, tallying the wrecks in a humorous way. One sign says "Hit me again. I dare ya," while another says, "You next?"
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"The signs are a good way of putting a comical spin on it, but at the same time now that I'm living here it's not that funny," said resident Jesse Durham.
At the intersection of Old Auburn and Fair Oaks Boulevard, crashes are piling up.
Beverly McCreedy who lives nearby said, "I can't understand what causes that particular crash over and over and over."
Citrus Heights police say three crashes occurred in 2018 alone. Two of them were caused by speeding and one an unsafe turn. The tally is now up to 24 accidents as of December.
Durham says he is keeping track. The fence to his backyard backs up to the constant crash site and before he moved in a couple of years ago, the fence had been plowed into by a car.
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"Every night we hear tires screeching. My wife and I are sitting in bed like is that going to be the next one? If a car's going fast enough and if it's a vehicle that's big enough, they'll go through that barrier," said Durham.
Durham says the barriers, which were meant to prevent damage to private property, were put in nine years ago. He says since then, the city has already spent more than $25,000 repairing them.
"It seems like there's not a week that goes by where they're not out there fixing the barrier," said Botica, "I think they need to put up flashing lights or something."
Some homeowners say they've shelled out thousands to fix their fences, while drivers don't seem to be held responsible. More than anything, they worry if the city and police don't do more, the number of wrecks will keep adding up.
"I can hope I won't see a 25, but a 25 is just around the corner," said Durham.
CBS13 did try to get more information about any future plans by the city of Citrus Heights to better prevent an accident but were unable to connect with city officials.
