GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. – A deadly car accident in Goochland was a nightmare come true for Tamra Adams.
Adams lives on property near the intersection at Broad Street Road and Fairground Road. She said unfortunately accidents there are common.
“This is what I’ve been so worried about,” she said of the fatal crash.
Passenger Jackie Lipford, age 19, died when the Chevrolet truck she was riding in turned in front of a Ford F-350 headed east on Broad Street Road, according to investigators.
"Sadly, this has been going on since we moved here in 1998,” Adams said.
As a mother and someone who runs a Montessori school on the property, Adams wrote VDOT letters asking for changes to the road months before the accident happened.
Some of those changes included reducing the speed and adding two solid lines to the road to prevent a head on accident with cars turning out of the school.
“One particular evening, we were contacted twice in eight hours,” said Adams, “there were two accidents within eight hours of each other.”
The CBS 6 Problem Solvers reached out to VDOT regarding Adams’ concerns.
From November 2012 to October 2015 there have been nine reported accidents at the intersection.
According to the DMV, from November 2015, to June 2016 , there have been three additional accidents.
VDOT also said it conducted a study after receiving Adam’s letter.
They issued a statement:
The findings contained in this report do not provide engineering justification to reduce the speed limit.
The current 55 MPH speed limit is valid and should be retained.
This recommendation is based upon the high operating speeds, favorable physical geometry and operational characteristics, low levels of roadside development, no on-street parking and negligible pedestrian activity and low crash rates.
As for the pavement marking, VDOT said the existing location of the one direction passing zone markings along Broad St. near Fairground Rd. is adequate based on the available sight distance.
However, for a school zone sign, Adam would need to work with her locality and VDOT would approve the materials if the resident pays for it.
Still, Adams said she won’t stop fighting for change, as one life lost is one too many.
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