It’s an S-Curve that has proven to be quite dangerous. More than a dozen wrecks have occurred over the past three weeks.
The curve is located on Swamp Leanna Road in Murfreesboro and residents want something done about it before someone loses their life.
It’s becoming more of the norm than the exception.
“I’ve seen vehicles when I go to work,” said wreck victim Peter Ciesielski.
Car parts, broken headlights. He has seen wreck, after wreck, after wreck.
“I’ve seen vehicles in there when I come home from work,” he said.
Peter Ciesielski was involved in a crash himself about six months ago on the dangerous S-Curve when a driver crossed the centerline and was coming right towards him.
“[I was] trying to go as far as I could to the edge without going off the road, I thought I was still safe,” the wreck victim said. “I went all the way off the edge, it sucked in my tires I went off-road.”
His truck was totaled but he knows it could have been much worse.
“If anything had gone differently, the vehicle could have tipped over completely,” Peter Ciesielski said. “There’s a tree I could have hit straight in the middle if I had gone off another six feet off to the side. It’s a real dangerous area right there.”
Residents in the nearby Liberty Heights subdivision know about this S-Curve all too well. They told News 2 since Dec. 14, there have been nearly a dozen wrecks or more.
“We’ve lived here for four years and every time it rains there’s a least two to three accidents a day,” resident Janna Ciesielski said.
They said speed also plays a factor.
“They take the turn too fast, they cross over the mid-line and they force other cars into the ditch or people that aren’t familiar with the road come through too fast and slide off into the ditch,” Janna Ciesielski said.
Residents said something needs to be done to improve safety.
“Widen the turn, straighten it out those will be the best remedies,” Janna Ciesielski said. “The guardrail that’s there is demolished from people running off the road, so obviously the guardrail that’s there isn’t working.”
Part of the Liberty Heights subdivision near the curve was annexed by the city of Murfreesboro.
Residents have complained to both the city and county, but said, they can’t get a straight answer as to who is responsible for improvements.
“We’re told that part of the problem is who is going to pay for the road,” Janna Ciesielski asked. “Is it the city who needs to pay for the updates for the road or the county?”
One of the main concerns is the road doesn’t have a shoulder, and the closer you get to that S-Curve there is a major drop off on both sides.
“It doesn’t look that bad, but then the drop off is probably a good four and a half, five feet in an area right there, and that’s what did the most damage to the truck,” Peter Ciesielski said.
Residents are hoping no one will have to die before something is finally done.
“We would love to see something done before somebody gets seriously hurt or wind up losing their lives,” resident Matt Grant said. “It’s a very dangerous curve. There has to be measures taken in order to keep this from happening. It’s happening way too often.”
Murfreesboro City officials told News 2 the city has invested in street lighting to improve nighttime visibility of the area near the S-Curve and additional signage has been added.
The city does intend to re-align the curve to bring it up to City standards, but the precise timetable is uncertain since drainage will also have to be improved.
