WAYMART, Pa. — The intersection of Route 296 and the Owego Turnpike near Waymart has seen an increasing trend in crashes, with the latest on Wednesday afternoon. First responders say they have gone to four crashes there in the last three weeks.
In the five years that Dillon Ignatovich has worked at the Crossroads Bar & Restaurant near this busy intersection, he says crashes and close calls happen way too often.
"In those five years probably been at least 200 almost accidents with people actually having single-car accidents off the side of the road because they damage their car, or it's just an accident," Ignatovich said.
Newswatch 16 cameras were rolling and caught a close call. Ignatovich says drivers being unfamiliar with the intersection may be one of the reasons crashes occur.
"You can't even see that stop sign until you're about 20 feet on it because all the brush and stuff. And then this one, I mean, people should notice that because you could see it from at least 50 yards away," Ignatovich said.
"By the time they look, and they're coming out of Waymart so fast, they just don't have time to react," Arthur Bronson said.
Bronson says he cringes every time there's a crash at this intersection because back in May, a car involved in a crash there went off the road, hit his house, and did severe damage.
"You can see it's got the windows cocked. It just moved the house four inches."
PennDOT was out taking measurements of the intersection less than 24 hours after the latest crash, and neighbors hope a change is coming.
"Signs telling people that there are stop signs, or maybe even a light," Ignatovich suggested.
A spokesperson with PennDOT said they work with police to find out what the cause of the accident was. if there is a pattern, they will look for a solution to prevent more accidents.
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