Accident at 98 and 395

[Kurt]

Not sure who the driver was but he was fine, on the phone walking around his van. He was totally ignoring FL Dawg. No offense though. He was probably stunned.

 

[Beach Runner]

OMG, FL Dawg! God was with you when you survived such a horrible accident.

We too survived a horrible accident in July. Our Sequoia got t-boned on the passenger (my) side. We were both dazed afterwards. The woman who hit us was texting and driving. Our car was drivable, but actually the repairs ended up costing more than the car is worth so it should have been declared totaled. My right side was sore for a few weeks because that's where the major impact was. The passenger doors on the right-hand side wouldn't open from the outside. But thank goodness we didn't have injuries like you did, FL Dawg.

Take care.

 

[FL Dawg]

That's one of Terry's vans. Was Terry in the wreck too. How is he doing?

Neither the driver of Terry's Van, nor the other Terry's employee/owner who arrived to transfer the items into another comany van, made ANY efforts to come over to me and ask if I was okay. NOT COOL AT ALL in my opinion. They appeared to be more concerned with their van and its possessions than my health and well being.....just sayin.

 

[Lake View Too]

First off, I'm glad you are OK. But second, and I'm not trying to pin any blame, how did the accident occur? Is there an inherent problem with this intersection that we all need to be aware of? It seems like there is, at least, one or two accidents per year there, and I really want to know what to look out for.

 

[Kurt]

There is about one accident per WEEK there.

My rule for 98 - A green light is ONLY permission to look both ways.

I have avoided serious accidents many times with this rule. I developed this rule from several near misses. The scariest was years ago when the light turned green and I started to proceed and a car passed through red within inches of my bumper at 55 mph or greater.

About once per week I avoid a potential accident at 395 and 98. Most often it is people tuning left in front of me instead of yielding when I am going straight through. There is some kind of disconnect going on in people's brain at that intersection.

 

[bigskybeachmom]

First and foremost, I am so relieved that you walked away from your accident. I was involved in a very scary accident at that very intersection on aug 1 just over a month ago. An 18 wheeler ran the red light and t boned me as I was crossing 98. It was the scariest moment in my life. I drove by your accident on Friday and felt the trauma all over and continued to keep you in my prayers. So thankful that both you and I came out alive and well, but there will not always be happy endings. What can we do to make this intersection safer? I do not know what the answer is but there has to be something. This has been an intersection of great concern for years. I remember fighting to get the current traffic light installed. That was a momentous occasion. What can we do to make this a less tragic intersection?

 

[Teresa]

For some reason, drivers on 395 turn left without looking or waiting for cars coming through the intersection. The intersection is very big and broad. Seems like the traffic lights aren't visible to many for some reason. Remember when there was no traffic light? Locals raised heck to get one because of the danger and terrible accidents.

 

[kitlit]

I think that drivers turning left onto 98 from 395 are often in such a hurry to get through before the light turns red that they tailgate the car in front of them into the intersection, rather than waiting to make sure there are no cars coming straight across from Pt. Washington. I don't think it's a problem with not seeing the light, I think it's a problem with trying to BEAT the light and not seeing the opposing traffic--the cars travelling straight across have the right of way, but people tend to forget that when they're in a hurry...

Unfortunately, the way the intersection is laid out (the width of the 4-lane means you don't curve immediately like you would with a 2-lane), you really can't see cars coming from the opposite side of 98 until the car in front of you has almost cleared the intersection completely. I see this happen nearly every morning on my way to school... Everybody's got somewhere to be, but if we slowed down a bit, we could all get there in one piece with very little time lost...

Toots, I DO remember when there was no light, and man, has it made a big difference! It hasn't fixed all the problems, obviously, but I'm very grateful that it's there! FLDawg's wreck was very reminiscent of one my dad had while driving my old Jeep Cherokee back in 2001, before the light went in... scary stuff!

 

[FL Dawg]

There is about one accident per WEEK there.

My rule for 98 - A green light is ONLY permission to look both ways.

I have avoided serious accidents many times with this rule. I developed this rule from several near misses. The scariest was years ago when the light turned green and I started to proceed and a car passed through red within inches of my bumper at 55 mph or greater.

About once per week I avoid a potential accident at 395 and 98. Most often it is people tuning left in front of me instead of yielding when I am going straight through. There is some kind of disconnect going on in people's brain at that intersection.

Kurt you nailed it on the head when you say that but I would revise it to look three ways...to your left, to your right AND to the oncoming traffic. At the time of my accident I was focusing on the oncoming traffic when the light for us had turned green. Frequently drivers turning east or west on 98 assume they have some right of way over cars coming across 395 traveling south or north. Cars crossing over 98 and staying on 395 (as well as 283) have the right of way. I encounter some idiot cutting in front of me as I cross 98 on a weekly, if not daily, basis. It was stupid of me to fail to make sure the cars traveling west/east were going to stop when their light turns red. I think part of the problem is that the light at 395 is the first one motorists encounter after passing Rosemary Beach. This is a good 12-15 mile stretch were travelers get in their comfort zone, set the cruise control at 65, and focus on other things other than driving. The company van involved in my accident was a local business and I am assuming the employee driving the van was familiar with 98 and the location of the stop lights along this stretch of road. I believe he was not focusing on his driving and did not see that the light was red until he looked up and saw me in his path. Multiple witnesses at the scene confirmed the driver that struck me clearly ran the light from 3-8 seconds after it had changed to red and he was cited a citation by the Florida Highway Patrol for doing so as well.


BOTTOM LINE IS WHEN CROSSING 98 AT BOTH 395 AND 283, A DRIVER MUST BE AWARE OF TRAFFIC FROM ALL THREE DIRECTIONS (EAST, WEST AND ONCOMING).

 

[FL Dawg]

I hope everyone will also remember that their are 2 memorials at this intersection for the two sisters who lost their lives their back in 2004 before the lights were installed. These two interections were deadly before the lights were installed and will continue to be so after the lights were installed. I cannot tell you how many times I have warned my two daughters to be extra cautious at them, because where we live at the end of E. Pt. Washington these are the only two intersections we must travel going to or from our house. I unfortunately let my guard down and almost got killed in the process.