Pueblog USa
Friday, March 24, 2006
Never a Dull Moment
Too much excitment.
So. There I was, quietly minding my own business when there was a loud crump followed by a crashing sound outside. There was no need to look. There was only the need to dial 911 and report an injury accident at 18th and Greenwood.
Then…while waiting almost 90 seconds for the Pueblo Police Departments emergency dispatch to ANSWER THE PHONE, give that information to the nice woman on the other end. And, now, hearing cries of children and seeing the Cheve Blazor flipped upside down hanging over my lawn, tell her it’s a rollover.
Out the door to render assistance. People were crawling out of the back end of the car. None seemed to be very badly injured. The youngsters seemed to be more shaken up than anything else. There were three childrens’ car-seats in the vehicle. The driver, a young woman, and her still younger friend seemed to have some bad cuts as they are bleeding but seem cogent and mobile. Get everyone AWAY from the vehicle as there is the strong odor of gas and I’ve seen cars catch fire from electrical shorts after these sorts of things.
Time passes. The police and ambulances and fire trucks all show up and get about doing their respective things.
The occupants of the Blazer are at the hospital getting checked out. The driver of the other vehicle has gone home to contact his insurance company. The mess is cleaned up. The big honking evergreen shrub on the corner has a chunk bitten out of it. The lawn where the car slid over it is going to need to be reseeded. The sprinkler head in the corner there seems undamaged; protected by it’s name-tag defilade position next to the curb.
And I’m wondering…..
WHY is 18th Street a one-way street?
It’s a residential area with no other one-way streets, save the obvious Elizabeth-Greenwood. There’s not even a corresponding one-way going east. So why is it there?
That’s what caused this accident. Someone was driving the wrong way on 18th street. And, there being no stop sign for east bound traffic on 18th at Greenwood, they drive right on out into the on-coming traffic of Greenwood.
Thinking back on it, there is hardly a week that goes by where we don’t witness some vehicle driving the wrong way down this one-way street. It’s rather remarkable that more accidents like this aren’t happening. The next occurence might be much more tragic.
This has GOT to be changed. And soon.
Be certain I will be bringing this up at PACOG’s transportation committee in a couple of weeks.
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