A CAR PILE-UP IN DESTIN: Dangerous stretch of Highway 98 claims more vehicles (PHOTOS)
Friday afternoon, multiple vehicles were involved in a wreck that left one Destin area resident injured. The young lady was taken away in an ambulance for minor injuries to one of her arms.
For photos of the accident, click here.
“It’s the same thing that always happens right here,” said Jana Rankin, of Destin. “I heard it all going on behind me and I just held on and hoped that it wouldn’t come my way.”
Rankin was waiting at the light at the corner of 98 and Henderson Beach Drive when she heard cars crashing behind her.
There are two situations that have been producing this kind of wreck, both of which involve congestion caused by the light.
Vehicles often try to cross the westbound lanes of the highway to get to Fudpucker’s and other surrounding businesses. When these lanes are congested, helpful drivers often stop to let other vehicles cross, a friendly gesture that is filled with blind spots for other cars who are unaware of the perpendicular flow of traffic.
In the other situation, cars use the turn lane leading up to the light to “shotgun” past the two lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic. As a vehicle speeds past the stopped drivers, there is no way for them to anticipate when someone is going to pull into the lane.
The lane used to have barriers that prevented speeding through the turn lane to get past the traffic, but since the barriers have been taken down, wrecks have been occurring much more frequently.
“I know there’s been at least eight wrecks since they’ve been taken down,” said Chester Kroeger, owner of Fudpucker’s.
Kroeger has worked with city officials to remedy the situation. He believes the problem will be fixed when the lane is turned to a regular traffic lane in coming weeks, which will also ease congestion.
“In two or three weeks they are supposed to get to work on it,” said Kroeger. “They’ve just got to get rid of the barrier in front of Sunsations and repaint it.”
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To learn more about the dangerous stretch of road and see photos of past accidents, click here.
