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Fixes sought at site of fatal car accident
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - October 17, 2012)
Fixes sought at site of fatal car accident
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
MUNSON – Township Trustees were searching for answers last week in the wake of the accident that claimed the life of a 24-year-old man from Claridon Township.
Trustees expressed concerns that there may be something more that could be done at the intersection of Sherman and Auburn roads following the Oct. 8 two-car accident there in which Nathan Petersen of Claridon Township was killed. Trustee Irene McMullen said she would call the Geauga County Engineer’s Office to learn whether other safety measures might prevent future accidents there.
The township also would seek assistance from the Geauga County Sheriff’s Department to erect a speed trailer along the route to make it safer, Trustee Andrew Bushman said. The township also may look to purchase a speed-reading device that could be posted at any road in the township where speed is a concern.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Chardon Post, a preliminary investigation show-ed that Mr. Petersen was eastbound on Sherman Road and had stopped at a stop sign at Auburn Road. He proceeded into the intersection, where the vehicle was struck by a southbound vehicle on Auburn Road.
Geauga County Chief Deputy Engineer Joseph Cattell indicated he received a call from Mrs. McMullen asking for a flashing stop sign at the intersection. Such a request is premature, he said. His department will wait until a final report is issued by the state patrol before evaluating that information and determining whether additional safety measures are needed.
There is a danger in rushing to judgment about adding safety measures, Mr. Cattell said. If officials begin installing safety measures where they are not needed, the motoring public becomes desensitized to such devices. At dangerous areas where such measures are needed, the motoring public tends to begin ignoring them, creating an even more dangerous situation.
“Overuse of traffic devices is a dangerous thing,” he said.
Sherman Road resident Kay Smith told trustees she has long suspected that a tragedy like this one would occur because little has been done to control speeding along the road. She said the road has become a bypass for motorists who want to avoid traffic along Mayfield Road (Route 322) to the south.
No one speeded along her road when it was a gravel road, Mrs. Smith said, but since it was paved, cars routinely travel at speeds of 70 to 80 mph on weekends. She indicated the drivers are not just kids, but people her age, 59 and older.
“We are just waiting for more accidents,” she said.
Mrs. Smith also would like a “hidden drive” sign to alert motorists of her driveway. She said she has had vehicles pass her after she pulls out from her drive because they are travelling so fast when they crest the hill to the west of her drive.
She called on trustees to seek a “dangerous intersection” sign or a solar-lighted stop sign to alert motorists to the intersection.
“A child is dead now,” she said. “This was a preventable accident.”
James Teichman, township road superintendent, said he had met Mr. Petersen through his son. Mr. Petersen was a graduate of Berkshire High School, who had just completed his graduate work at Akron University and was planning on going on to medical school to be an orthopedic surgeon.
“He was always a very polite and respectful young man, just a decent human being,” he said.
Mr. Teichman said friends were planning to get Mr. Petersen’s ball cap bronzed to serve as a memorial to their friend.
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