RIVERVIEW, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a Christmas Day crash that killed two people in Riverview on US 301 at Ambleside Drive, right at the entrance to the South Fork community.
Residents there say that particular intersection is very dangerous, and that more needs to be done to keep drivers safe.
Eric Rotunno has lived in South Fork for 15 years, long before a big population boom.
“I remember when it was a two-lane road, and now it’s a six-lane highway,” he said.
But what hasn’t changed since those early days is the lack of a traffic light at US-301 and Ambleside Drive.
“I think one of the most dangerous things about this intersection is when people try and make a left and turn, they have to go right across three lanes of traffic and then wait at that median area and complete the left turn,” he said.
That’s what troopers say happened in the crash Christmas evening. A driver attempted to make that left-hand turn, hit a car, then spun out, hitting a third vehicle. An 82-year old woman and 60-year woman were both killed. Rotunno says his HOA has pushed for a light at the intersection for a while to try and prevent something like that.
“We have complained to the government as much as we could, and that’s really all you can, that’s the power of the HOA. It isn’t very strong outside of the neighborhood, but I know a lot of people have complained about it,” he said.
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is currently installing a traffic signal there and has two of the four drilled shafts installed. Rotunno says he’s hopeful the light will help, and he only wishes it would’ve been here sooner.
“It’s just nice to see people out and it is nice to see some things getting done, but again, a tragic loss of life, it’s very, very sad,” he said.
FDOT expects the work to be complete in spring 2025.