Two women and a man were hospitalized late Tuesday afternoon in the latest crash at the notorious intersection of U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway, by the White Eagle Lounge.
The intersection is among the most crash-prone in the county, prompting the state Department of Transportation to plan for a roundabout there. That project is slated for construction starting early next year.
Today’s crash took place shortly after 5 p.m. It followed the same pattern as previous serious crashes at the intersection. A woman was driving her Ford SUV north on U.S. 1. A woman was driving a Buick SUV, with a man in the passenger seat, and was pulling out of Old Dixie Highway. Based on the statement to authorities by the driver of the Ford, the Buick pulled out in front of the Ford, crossing U.S. 1 in an apparent move to turn left and south onto U.S. 1. The driver of the Ford swerved to avoid crashing directly into the Buick. The move may have been just enough to avoid a fatal consequence, as the Ford slammed into the rear-door area of the Buick, avoiding the driver.
Early report to emergency authorities were more dire than what the situation turned out to be. Flagler County Fire Flight, the emergency helicopter, was placed on stand-by, but it never took flight.
Flagler County Fire Rescue transported the driver and the passenger of the Buick to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach. A rescuer specified that neither case was considered a trauma alert. The driver of the Ford was transported to Florida Hospital Flagler with minor injuries. Both vehicles were seriously damaged, both saw their air bags, including side airbags, deploy, likely minimizing injuries.
The Buick ended up in the U.S. 1 median facing west. The Ford’s front end was unrecognizable. The vehicle stopped a few feet north of the point of impact on U.S. 1.
A third car initially appeared to have also been involved in the crash as it had stopped within inches of the Buick, in the turning lane from U.S. 1 north onto Old Dixie Highway, but the vehicle’s driver was a only a witness. The vehicle was unscathed.
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies diverted traffic slightly through the White Eagle Lounge parking lot to avoid the area of the crash, but traffic did not back up more than a few hundred feet on U.S. 1. The Florida Highway Patrol took over the scene and the investigation.
The intersection last year was the scene of several crashes, two of them resulting in deaths: five people were killed in a February 2017 crash in circumstances similar to today’s crash. That November, a motorcyclist was killed at the intersection.
The frequency of grave crashes led Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly to pressure the transportation department into making alterations at the intersection. The end result was a transportation department proposal to build a roundabout there. The proposal has largely been opposed by Flagler residents, though roundabouts are intended to nearly eliminate exactly the sort of t-bone crashes that have been taking place there. Roundabouts drastically reduce the incidence of fatal crashes, and what crashes do take place at roundabounts tend to be less severe.
The transportation department is also planning a roundabout for the intersection of U.S. 1 and Matanzas Woods Parkway, in northwest Palm Coast.
Anonymous says
Why aren’t police cars being stationed outside the Lounge to catch the drunk drivers leaving the bar. The sherriff’s office seems to waste a whole lot of resources trying to troll up traffic tickets on Colbert Road.
HayRide says
“Roundabouts drastically reduce the incidence of fatal crashes.”
that would have no effect since these people around here can’t drive in a straight Line, you’ll never get them to drive safely in a circle, and on a 60MPH road, it will never work!
woody says
Same old story bad driving,see it everyday.What we do in Flagler county is install a traffic signal to make up for these bad drivers.Soon we will have more traffic lights than people.That is a slightly tricky intersection but common sense should prevail.North bound driver apparently did nothing wrong other than trust the buick knew what they were doing.
Dave says
Needs a roundabout already! Let’s go!
Really says
GL to all involved. Gotta drive defensive, too many in a hurry poor skills no respect for laws/rules written or otherwise
The Geode says
As usual. Bad driving is again the “road’s fault”…
Resident says
A round about is not going to resolve the issue nor will a red light. They need to stop traffic from coming off Old Dixie and going south on US 1. They can do just like Volusia county did years ago make them go North and u turn to go south.
James says
If law enforcement sits outside of a bar and waits for drunks, it is considered entrapment. This is due to case law, so you can thank your local defense attorney for making things this way. Also, what does that have to do with this incident? No where in the article does it say there was even suspicion od drunk driving. And if you don’t speed on Colbert, you won’t get pulled over, just saying.
107 says
A round a bout is the most stupid decision one could think of. What is wrong with a stop light? What is wrong with closing the White Eagle and put a guard rail up so traffic can’t pull out from that parking lot a well as from Old Dixie? Sounds to me in this case the driving pulling out from Old Dixie didn’t stop or came to a rolling stop and didn’t look before pulling out. You just fix stupid!
Beatrice says
The drivers are coming off Old Dixie and pulling onto US1 in front of speeding drivers. It has nothing to do with bar patrons. We need people slowing down on US 1 and Old Dixie drivers better visibility to US 1. They can’t tell how fast or close US 1 drivers are going, so they pull in front of them. Taking down the curve and building a roundabout will solve the problem.
Agkistrodon says
Failure to Yield, simple as that. The turning driver IS the cause of this accident, nothing else.
Concerned Citizen says
If you’re pulling out onto a highway you don’t have the right away. You must yield to oncoming traffic. I don’t understand why this is so hard to grasp.
Also for those that drive US1 on a daily basis the posted speed limit is the law not a suggestion and applies to both the right and left lanes. I cannot tell you how many times I see people going past me in a 55 doing almost 70.
There’s a clear solution to reduce accidents on our roadways. And it starts behind the wheel with us. Less distraction and following the rules of the road along with respect for each other goes along way to making the roads safe.
Extra cops round abouts and signals or signs don’t matter a bit when the driver doesn’t care.
Okay says
Okay, I’m going to be that person…the problem is people have no concept of timing, logistics, math, physics…and yes, they are ALL important while driving. It is not simply sitting in a seat, pushing a pedal, and turning a wheel. There is a lot of science and math (two subjects a majority of American’s are not good at BTW) involved. People see a car zooming down RT 1 and think, “Oh, I have time, I can make it,” when they do not account for how long it will take to A. Cross the northbound lanes, the small section of the median, and enter the southbound lanes, B. The speed necessary to make that move safely, and C. The speed of the oncoming vehicle. Some people have a hard time shifting in reverse let alone trying to figure out all of those scenarios.
I see it all the time, people pull out in front of me from various locations, or do a u-turn as I’m motoring down the road with no regard for anything other than themselves and then they give ME the finger for one reason or another. If your going to pull out in front of someone, pull out like you mean it, and don’t go in 2 MPH increments until you might hit the speed limit. Another problem is a lot of people are in another world, and not cellphones or passengers, but literally somewhere else when they are driving. You have to use every mirror, turn your head, move your eyes, do really basic things that save lives that no computerized car can do for you.
I think it should be 100x harder for someone to obtain a license to drive (and they need to start issuing licenses to bicycle as well because if you are pedal biking on a road, you need to follow the same traffic rules as the cars and not BLOW THROUGH RED LIGHTS). I have never seen such awful driving as I have here and I’ve lived up and down the entire eastern coast. A roundabout will only make things worse because people cannot handle the one in the Target plaza. They have no idea about the use for the inner or outer circle and where you should be for your intended destination.
Agkistrodon says
Even With a Rotary, those Entering the Rotary need to yield right of way. If a person cannot yield right of way at a intersection with a US highway, how will the do it with a Rotary, they will just merge right on without looking and YIELDING. If you are in too much hurry to wait for safe passing, you may end up with an early passing.
oldtimer says
bad driving pure and simple, pulled out in front of a car doing 60mph dumbass!
knowthefacts says
@ anonymous I’m not sure how your statement is relative to this article at all. You must live off Colbert and get stopped a lot and you are trying to re-direct your own issues.
mark101 says
It all comes down to people NOT paying attention. That’s it plain and simple. Always in a hurry. Until people can get their head out of the sand, no type of road improvement can prevent stupidity and carelessness.
Bill says
@ Anonymous says:
September 4, 2018 at 6:58 pm
Why aren’t police cars being stationed outside the Lounge to catch the drunk drivers leaving the bar. The sherriff’s office seems to waste a whole lot of resources trying to troll up traffic tickets on Colbert Road.
???? this story has NOTHING to do about drunk driving.
atilla says
Well someone got a speeding ticket on Colbert so let’s pull all the cops off Colbert and direct their efforts on this intersection so they can speed on Colbert. You can’t fix stupid.
Bruce says
Just add a light, it has worked at plantation bay on us1.
Anonymous says
Always be on guard for drivers pulling out into traffic. Don’t get complacent because you have the right-of-way.
Scott Batson says
‘Driver error’ exists, but it should not serve as an excuse to not make roads safer.
Steve Vanne says
Just put lights up there. Will save money and solve most of the problem there, oh that’s right they don’t won’t to save money its the tax payer who is paying the bill for a round about which will cause more problems than good. I drive this area everyday and people just don’t look or pay attention of whats going on in this area. People get off ur cell and look whats going on around you. Seems so simple?
Janie H says
Forget the roundabout. Put up a traffic light. How many more people have to be injured or killed? Poor judgement on the part of FDOT
Anonymous says
Lol…wait and see how fast people go through this new roundabout….what then? Roundabout in a roundabout?
Richard says
Roundabouts work and have been proven to be safer than stop signs, traffic lights etc. If you don’t believe that then do some research and reading to find out for yourself. However, that assumes that most people using them have knowledge of how to drive a vehicle which eliminates 80% of the driver’s in Florida and that’s stretching it!
jane doh says
Once again – driver error. The intersection is clearly marked. If one cannot cross safely over all lanes, then perhaps one should make a right then a u-turn up the road. Better yet, go back to driver school – what is so hard to understand about looking both ways?
capt says
Hell people run traffic lights now, adding a light is not going to work. And add 4 or 5 drinks and there will be crashes in the roundabout. Put it this way, a drunk doesn’t care .
Tom Davies says
It has nothing to do with drunks, its the people coming out of Old Dixie Hywy, that can’t comprehend speed time and distance.
Sheila S says
Forget the turnabout… Just put in a real light there!
gmath55 says
round about, round a bout, rotary, turnabout. LOL, LOL. If you can’t spell the word correctly how can you even be intelligent enough to drive correctly?
round·a·bout
ˈroundəˌbout/
noun
noun: roundabout; plural noun: roundabouts
1.
British term for traffic circle.
2.
British term for merry-go-round.
3.
historical
a close-fitting, waist-length jacket worn by men and boys.
adjective
adjective: roundabout
1.
not following a short direct route; circuitous.
“we need to take a roundabout route to throw off any pursuit”
synonyms: circuitous, indirect, meandering, serpentine, tortuous
“a roundabout route”