JONESVILLE — In the past eight years there have been a total 38 wrecks involving a total of 75 vehicles with 29 people injured at or near the intersection of U.S. 176 and New Hope Church Road.
At 7:20 a.m. Feb. 15, a collision at the intersection involving four vehicle sent the drivers of two vehicles to Wallace Thomson Hospital. The accident has renewed concerns about the safety of the intersection which is next to Jonesville Elementary/Middle School on New Hope Church Road and is used by both parents and school buses bringing children to and from school.
The intersection has a caution light but not a stop light, which many parents of children who attend JEMS and other area residents feel is needed. A stop light has been requested by Union County Schools since 2009 when JEMS opened and by State Rep. Mike Anthony, but the S.C. Department of Transportation conducted a study and concluded there was not enough traffic to justify it.
In response to the situation and the most recent accident, some Jonesville area residents have organized a meeting that will be held at 7 p.m. tonight at Jonesville Auction, located at the intersection of S.C. 18 and S.C. 9.
The items to be discussed include the traffic signal proposal, child safety, the SCDOT’s response, studies that have been completed and funding for such a project. The email addresses and phone numbers for local officials also will be distributed at the meeting and local officials, SCDOT representatives, members of the media, and concerned citizens are invited to attend.
The Feb. 15 accident is the latest of 38 accidents that have occurred at the intersection since 2005 that the S.C. Department of Public Safety has compiled statistics. The statistics, which include only accidents that resulted in more than $1,000 in vehicle damage and/or injuries or fatalities, show that between 2005 and now, there were 38 collisions involving a total of 75 vehicle at or near the intersection. While none of the accidents resulted in fatalities, a total of 29 people were injured.
Of the 38 accidents that occurred during the past eight years, 12 occurred before JEMS opened in 2009 and 26 since then. Most of the accidents involved two vehicles. The accidents occurred at different times of the day throughout the year including:
• March 14, 2005 at 9:10 a.m. (two vehicles)
• June 3, 20005 at 1 p.m. (two vehicles)
• June 30, 2005 at 3:40 p.m. (three vehicles)
• June 12, 2006 at 6:45 a.m. (two vehicles)
• May 23, 2007 at 1:29 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Sept. 11, 2007 at 10:35 a.m. (two vehicles)
• Oct. 28, 2007 at 6:45 a.m. (two vehicles)
• May 10, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. (two vehicles)
• June 30, 2008 at 6:44 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Dec. 25, 2008 at 10:50 a.m. (two vehicles)
• Feb. 18, 2009 at 3:35 p.m. (one vehicle)
• June 26, 2009 at 8:40 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Oct. 2, 2009 at 8:05 a.m. (two vehicles)
• Oct 6, 2009 at 7:25 a.m. (two vehicles)
• Oct. 7, 2009 at 7:40 a.m. (two vehicles)
• Nov. 9, 2009 at 3:07 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Jan. 24, 2009 at 6:23 p.m. (one vehicle)
• Jan. 25, 2010 at 5:05 p.m. (three vehicles)
• Jan. 27, 2010 at 11:32 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Feb. 7, 2010 at 5:55 p.m. (two vehicles)
• March 2, 2010 at 7:10 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Oct. 1, 2010 at 7:46 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Oct. 20, 2010 at 7:31 a.m. (two vehicles)
• Oct. 28, 2010 at 7:40 a.m. (two vehicles)
• Nov. 13, 2010 at 12:05 p.m. (two vehicles)
• March 13, 2011 at 6 a.m. (one vehicle)
• April 15, 2011 at 4:50 p.m. (two vehicles)
• April 22, 2011 at 2:30 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Oct. 26, 2011 at 5:11 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Nov. 14, 2011 at 7:45 a.m. (two vehicles)
• Jan. 18, 2012 at 1:04 p.m. (two vehicles)
• May 27, 2012 at 9:50 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Sept. 13, 2012 at 7:20 a.m. (two vehicles)
• Oct. 4, 2012 at 2:45 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Dec. 1, 2012 at 5:10 a.m. (one vehicle)
• Dec. 13, 2012 at 7:30 a.m. (two vehicle)
• Jan. 29, 2013 at 10:25 p.m. (two vehicles)
• Feb. 15, 2013 at 7:20 a.m. (four vehicles)
The year with the most collisions was 2010 (nine) while 2006 had the fewest (one). The month with the most collisions was October (nine) while April and September were tied for the fewest (two each). Wednesday and Friday were tied for the day of the week with the most collisions (seven each) while Saturday had the fewest (three).
Editor Charles Warner can be reached at 864-427-1234, ext. 14, or by email at cwarner@civitasmedia.com.
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