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Homeowner lives with screeching tires, damaged wall
By TIM GRANT, Times Staff Writer CARROLLWOOD -- Every time she hears the squealing wheels, Ezra Santiago said she braces for the crash. Santiago, 25, lives near the concrete wall surrounding the Country Place subdivision that has been hit five times by drivers on Hutchison Road. The latest crash happened on the afternoon of Sept. 18. "There are plenty of times I've heard the screeching around midnight, and I wondered to myself, "Oh God, are they going to hit it again?"' The officer who wrote the recent accident report estimated it would cost $5,000 to repair the 40-foot section that was knocked down. The Santiagos own that portion of the wall behind their home, so they are responsible for dealing with the drivers' insurance companies each time it's damaged. The portion of the wall that keeps getting hit is on a curve on Hutchison Road between Rawls and Pennington roads. Most of the previous crashes were caused by people who live in the area and travel that road frequently. Investigators say most of the previous wrecks at that location were caused by motorists going too fast and driver error. "If someone was cutting the grass or if kids were playing out there, they could have gotten hurt," Santiago said, adding that no one at her house has ever been injured when the accidents occur. Carlos Pratts, a Santiago family friend who was there when the crash happened, said he contacted the Hillsborough County Public Works department to request that a guardrail be installed to protect the wall. Scott Cattrell, a manager in the Public Works department, said he is studying the problem. He said it could be several weeks before a decision is made. "Guard rails are not designed to protect walls," Cattrell said. "What they do is redirect cars back to the roadway." -- Tim Grant can be reached at grant@sptimes.com.
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