Two people have now died and 7 others were injured in a crash on Sandbridge road on Wednesday night (4/16/14).
The two-vehicle crash occurred shortly before 7 p.m. in the 500 block of Sandbridge Road in what witnesses described as "horrifying."
Those familiar with the crash indicated a 2002 Nissan sedan went off of the road slightly. The driver over-corrected and came across the road into the path of an oncoming Toyota Tocoma pick up truck. The Tocoma hit the side of the Nissan sending the vehicle into the woods. The sedan was carrying one adult and 6 children. A police spokesperson said two of children have now died and the adult driver and four other children from the Nissan vehicle remain in critical condition.
The driver of the pick up received only minor injuries while the passenger is still hospitalized, but in stable condition.
An article in Friday's Virginian Pilot highlighted the danger of Sandbridge Road and questioned local authorities as to why this heavily traveled two-lane road has not been improved, nor is it scheduled for any improvements in the foreseeable future.
City Traffic engineer Robert Gey was quoted as saying "overall it is a fairly safe road." For the period of 2010 through 2012 there were 28 crashes, 7 with injuries. That ranked the road 44th out of 67 in the region. Gey pointed out that the road has undergone some improvements over the last several years as some sharp curves have been made safer and some utility poles have been relocated as well as some reflectors have been installed in some locations.
Still, there have now been 3 fatalities on this road in the last week as a single vehicle crash in the 1600 block of Sandbridge road resulted in the death of the car driver which has caused nearly all Sandbridge residents to reflect on the safety of the road as we enter our busiest time of the year. It is always good to remind friends, family and visitors how dangerous this road can be.
Virginia Beach EMS did no favors for itself early Thursday morning as it tried to use a reverse 9-1-1 call to advise approximately 175 people that the road was once again open. Instead of contacting the 175 people that were most affected by the road closing the call went out to 99,895 people in Virginia Beach. The city received numerous complaints from people who were awoken at 2 AM with the call.
By Tim Cafferty, President, Sandbridge Blue Realty Services
The two-vehicle crash occurred shortly before 7 p.m. in the 500 block of Sandbridge Road in what witnesses described as "horrifying."
Those familiar with the crash indicated a 2002 Nissan sedan went off of the road slightly. The driver over-corrected and came across the road into the path of an oncoming Toyota Tocoma pick up truck. The Tocoma hit the side of the Nissan sending the vehicle into the woods. The sedan was carrying one adult and 6 children. A police spokesperson said two of children have now died and the adult driver and four other children from the Nissan vehicle remain in critical condition.
An article in Friday's Virginian Pilot highlighted the danger of Sandbridge Road and questioned local authorities as to why this heavily traveled two-lane road has not been improved, nor is it scheduled for any improvements in the foreseeable future.
City Traffic engineer Robert Gey was quoted as saying "overall it is a fairly safe road." For the period of 2010 through 2012 there were 28 crashes, 7 with injuries. That ranked the road 44th out of 67 in the region. Gey pointed out that the road has undergone some improvements over the last several years as some sharp curves have been made safer and some utility poles have been relocated as well as some reflectors have been installed in some locations.
Virginia Beach EMS did no favors for itself early Thursday morning as it tried to use a reverse 9-1-1 call to advise approximately 175 people that the road was once again open. Instead of contacting the 175 people that were most affected by the road closing the call went out to 99,895 people in Virginia Beach. The city received numerous complaints from people who were awoken at 2 AM with the call.
By Tim Cafferty, President, Sandbridge Blue Realty Services
