After fatal crash, Parrish residents renew plea for traffic light at intersection

Four or five times a week, staff members at Parrish United Methodist Church hear the sounds of drivers locking their brakes as they attempt to avoid an accident at the intersection of U.S. 301 and County Road 675.

Monday night, they also heard the sound of a fatal crash. Looking out a church window, they saw Ashley Rhodes' car coming to rest in a parking lot nearby. Florida Highway Patrol troopers say Rhodes, who was westbound on County Road 675, had turned into a path of a pickup truck traveling north on U.S. 301 and was hit.

Members of the church gathered near her car to pray for the 22-year-old, but she succumbed to her injuries.

Pastor Chris Schmidt said the accident might have been avoided had the traffic signal at the intersection been fully operational, rather than flashing yellow for traffic on U.S. 301 and red for traffic on C.R. 675.

Several years ago, the church joined with the Parrish Civic Association to petition the Florida Department of Transportation to make the traffic signal fully operational. The request was denied based on the traffic count at the time.

"There have been way too many traffic accidents there. One fatality is too many," said Karen Tonkin, who has lived in Parrish since 1982 and has seen traffic increase sharply.

"Sometimes people don't stop at a flashing light, and a stop sign isn't enough," Tonkin said. "I just hope and pray that they will do something about it soon."

Michael D. Williamson, division chief for the Parrish Fire District, said the intersection is the district's No. 1 hot spot for traffic accidents.

In recent months there have been three trauma-alert accidents at the intersection, requiring the patient to be flown to Blake Medical Center, he said.

"The Parrish Fire District is a huge proponent of anything that will enhance the safety of the community," Williamson said.

Pastor Chris Schmidt said that the night of the fatal accident, church members circled and attempted to "lift her in prayer and that she would somehow find God's peace."

Schmidt said he is so concerned about the intersection that he tells his two teen sons to avoid it.

"It's just too dangerous," Schmidt said.

Brian Watterson, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Premier Community Bank, has an office window view of the intersection.

"I have been with the bank 11 years. With the population growth, traffic has increased exponentially," Watterson said.

It's critical, Watterson said, that the light be made fully operational.

FDOT also needs to take a look at the flashing red light just to the north at State Road 62, which is so narrow semi-tractors have difficulty making the turn.

JoAnn May, a communications specialist for FDOT, said the state is taking a fresh look at the U.S. 301/County Road 675 intersection.

"Staff will review the data along with the police report to see if any changes need to be made at this intersection. We should have more information in about a week," May said in an email.

This story was originally published June 20, 2018 at 1:23 PM with the headline "After fatal crash, Parrish residents renew plea for traffic light at intersection."