Deadly Curve: DOT To Improve Road To Prevent Accidents

The woman who owns the home that was crashed into Tuesday Night says its not the first time someone has crashed in her yard.

Seventy-six year old Jeanette Caldwell raised her family for the past 53 years at the place she calls home on Geer Highway in Marietta. And Tuesday night, when a car driven by 64-year old Gary Lee Hamilton ran off the road, struck a tree and burst into flames, Caldwell was not surprised because similar accident have happened along this dangerous curve for as long as she can remember.

"That's a doozie," she said standing under a large oak tree in the Carolina sun. "I've had several people die right here in the yard."

Year after year and day-after-day, Caldwell has experienced the danger that lies upon this road. but as her walls shook and the smoke began to fill the rooms on Tuesday night, she jumped up and exclaimed "lord have mercy, what has happened." Then she found out.

Hamilton's truck was a mangled mess.

"The truck was on fire," Caldwell said. "And my house was on fire."

After News Channel 7 reporters asked the Department of Transportation about the stretch of road they told us, after speaking with the Caldwell family, they would put up large chevron arrows around the curve in hopes it will help prevent deaths.

The DOT says the arrows will go up after the first of the year.

Looking around, Caldwell continued to tell tales, not only about Tuesday night's accident, but other accidents at the location, some of which have been so bad that she has a story about every tree here. One oak tree has been hit three times and there's another across the street that if it could talk there would be tales of destruction, carnage and just about every type of accident that could possibly happen.

"One car actually wrapped around that tree," she said. "Trees have been knocked down and aren't even here anymore."

One another tree, the chipped bark shows where another car bounced off of it and into the tree next to it before striking Caldwell's house where her grandson was sleeping in a bedroom. However, while the trees have no doubtedly caused numerous driver's peril, ironically they have been a saving grace to Caldwell's family, until Tuesday when her home suffered smoke damage and a totaled foundation. And all of this because cars cannot seem to stay on Geer Highway, even though the Department of Transportation put up chevron warning signs six years ago.

"I need something from keeping the cars from coming off in my yard."