Plano Warns Drivers To Heed Cone Zones
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PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - Most people dislike having to drive through a construction zone, but the city of Plano is warning drivers to take construction warnings seriously before they end up like an increasing number of crash victims.
Anyone who has driven along parts of Legacy Drive during the last several months knows what an obstacle course it is. But you may not know just how dangerous it can be if you don't mind the barricades. You may not see huge holes that could destroy vehicles and make the road improvements take even longer.
Believe it or not, the car featured in this story that got stuck in wet cement may not even be as bad off as others that crashed into holes before the cement was poured. Plano has produced a new video warning drivers about a surge in recent months of drivers ignoring barricades and running into serious trouble.
"I broke my nose in two places. I had severe bruising and burns on my neck all the way down to my chest," Sammie Krepp said.
Krepp totaled her vintage Jaguar when she crashed into an open hole on Legacy. In her case she says it wasn't a matter of deliberately ignoring the barricades. She says she just didn't see them.
"After I made a right onto Legacy, I was driving. The road looked completely open, didn't realize that the road was out, and all of a sudden my car went off the road and hit the concrete," Krepp explained.
She says the day after her crash, construction crews added more barricades, but she says photos show what she encountered with shadows blocking the two cones closest to the hole. She thinks other drivers may find the area confusing.
"And every day it switches, you know whether it's the middle, the left, the right. You don't know," Krepp said.
In other cases, city and law enforcement officials say some drivers are simply disregarding the warning signs, which endangers themselves and the construction workers. That's why they and Krepp have the same advice for everyone on the road.
"Just to be very cautious. I think you really have to be careful. I'm still now very leery of going onto Legacy. I take other routes," Krepp said.
Krepp is suing the construction company for thousands of dollars of damage to her car. The contractor declined to comment about the lawsuit, but a spokesperson said they have had many near misses with their workers, and they urge everyone to drive safely.
Click here to see the city of Plano's warning video about construction zones.
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