MADISON, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Madison man said his home has been a front-row seat for serious crashes along a busy stretch of road. Now, he’s asking transportation leaders for change.
Since 2015, Courtney Benner and his family have lived in the 600 block of Neely’s Bend Road in Madison, which is a curvy stretch. Over the years, the Benners have witnessed crash after crash. One of the most recent happened on Friday, when a car crushed their newly-built brick mailbox.
Some have involved severe injuries. Others, including a 2017 head-on collision, were fatal.
“I just don’t want to see another person injured,” Benner said. “…I’ve walked out to crashes where people had broken legs [and] blood all over their face.”
Benner told News 2 if it weren’t for a retaining wall built outside his home — which has been destroyed by crashes three times — they could have cost his family more than the $20,000 they’ve already spent in repairs.
“I have three children that play outside,” Benner said. “At that point, you’re just hoping that the wrong driver doesn’t come down Neelys Bend going 65 miles an hour looking at their phone.”
Benner has reached out to the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) to do something. In June, a radar speed sign was installed, but shortly after, a water truck crashed into the retaining wall and caused heavy damage.
After Friday’s mailbox crash, Benner submitted another request through hubNashville for a guardrail in hopes of seeing an end to the wrecks.
“The guardrail installation has been deemed warranted and is near the top of our priority list,” an NDOT spokesperson told News 2.
It’s not clear at this time when the guardrail will be added to that stretch and how far it will extend.
“We don’t need to have people going that fast that are on this curve because it doesn’t end well,” Benner said.
