Calls for caution

Shari Hyde can attest to how dangerous the intersection of U.S. 280 and Dunnavant Valley Road is for drivers. As the clinic director of OnMark Physical Therapy in the Narrows, Hyde said she and her staff hear the sounds of an accident outside their office about once every other week.

“That’s not uncommon. We hear wrecks in this area frequently,” Hyde said.

On Oct. 20, however, the collision they heard was no fender bender. An 18-wheeler struck an SUV, pushing it off the road and into the grass in front of OnMark’s office. Hyde said she felt compelled to run to the vehicles, worried that the impact on the SUV’s gas tank would cause a fire.

“I wanted to get any of the survivors to safety,” Hyde said.

Hyde removed an infant from the SUV and handed him to nurse Brandi Hickman from the neighboring office of Dr. Brent McLarty. She remembers checking on the driver of the 18-wheeler, who looked “very devastated,” as they waited for the paramedics. The crash tragically took the life of the infant’s mother, 25-year-old Jordan Alexa Matson.

It’s difficult for Hyde to talk about the day of that wreck without choking up. It was another unfortunate confirmation of her belief that the Dunnavant Valley Road intersection is unsafe for drivers. According to the most recent ALDOT traffic counts, between 35,000 and 40,000 drivers commute through that area on 280 every day. With so many vehicles, Hyde said rush hour and the incline on the south side of the intersection make it a prime spot for mistakes.

“It’s a dangerous intersection,” Hyde said. “Sometimes people are not alert… I believe Highway 280 is not a very safe highway. A lot of it is due to how heavy the traffic is.”

Drivers racing to beat yellow lights, she said, only compound the problem. Hyde said she would like to see a campaign reminding people to slow down and prepare to stop for yellow lights.

Hyde herself has been rear-ended on 280 before and recalls being summoned to Shelby County jury duty once for a court case about a traffic accident on U.S. 280. The 100 potential jurors in the pool were asked if they had been in a similar wreck, and Hyde said she counted 35 people who raised their hands.

Capt. David Rushton is a member of the Pelham Police Department and heads the county’s multijurisdictional traffic homicide unit. He said he knows of at least three other fatal wrecks in the area of that intersection since April 2012. Four miles away from OnMark, Rushton said another fatal accident occurred on U.S. 280 near the Chelsea Publix on Oct. 20, as well.

Rushton said his record of crashes in the area is limited, as his unit is only called to respond to fatal accidents involving multiple vehicles. Single-car wrecks and those that only cause injuries or vehicle damage are the jurisdiction of the Alabama State Troopers. Attempts to get accident statistics from the Birmingham Troopers Post, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and ALDOT were unsuccessful.

The Oct. 20 accident is still under investigation by state troopers. A GoFundMe for Matson’s family has raised nearly $32,000 as of press time. Hyde and her staff decided they wanted to do something to help. All OnMark locations are accepting donations for the families, and they have already delivered their first batch of items.

Hyde recommended donations of gift cards to grocery stores or gas stations, size 6 diapers and wipes, clothing with receipts or checks made out to Nathan Matson. She intends to keep delivering donations as long as people continue dropping them off.

“Anytime someone wants to bless the family, we will deliver to Nathan,” she said.

OnMark has locations in the Narrows, Hoover, Altadena, Helena and Moody.