A curvy road is causing cars to beat up on a Gainesville beanbag business.
On Feb. 11, a vehicle driving down Northwest Eighth Avenue missed a curve in the road and slammed into Corda-Roy's Originals. This is the sixth time a vehicle has driven onto the business's property during the past decade, according to Gainesville Police Department reports.
The owner of Corda-Roy's Originals, which is located on the corner of Northwest Eighth Avenue and West Newberry Road, is asking the city to add blinking lights or other markers on the road to warn drivers of the turn, especially because all the accidents have happened in the dark.
Previous accidents have all involved drivers who were in their 20s, and each was charged with reckless or careless driving. Two drivers were also charged with driving under the influence. The previous accidents happened late at night or early in the morning, according to police reports.
As cars go west on Northwest Eighth Avenue, the road curves sharply south as it approaches West Newberry Road. If drivers keep going straight, the beanbag shop is dead ahead, said Byron Young, owner of the store.
"The bottom line here is safety for the people inside the building and safety for the drivers," Young said.
The most recent accident was a hit-and-run on Feb.11. Young came into work that day to find a chipped wall and destroyed bushes.
If the car had slammed harder into the wall, it would have broken into the room where Young stores $20,000 worth of beanbag covers.
"The common denominator here is darkness," Young said. "I don't feel comfortable having anyone here the minute it gets dark because who knows what will happen."
There are four yellow signs with black arrows along Northwest Eighth Avenue right before the curve. Young said no one can see those signs at night.
In an email to City Commissioner Todd Chase, Young asked the city to fix the problem and add something more visible along the road. Young said he is waiting for a response.
"Thank God this hasn't happened during the day," said Andrea Smith, an employee at the store. "Obviously, I would hear if a car was about to crash into us, but I'm not sure if I would have time to jump over my desk and get out of the way."
City Commissioner Jeanna Mastrodicasa said the commission could look into the issue, but she believes the state, not the city, has control of adding road markers.
"We don't design the roads, and we don't control them," she said.
