The number of accidents at a Sharon Township intersection where four teens crashed Wednesday nearly doubled in the last two years, according to data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Medina County Sheriff logs.
"Sharon's one of the fastest-growing communities," said Ray Lurtz, a Sharon Township trustee. "Obviously, when you grow, you get subdivisions, more traffic, more accidents."
In 2016, data indicates there were five accidents at the intersection of Boneta and Fixler roads, which has a two-way stop. In 2015, there were three.
Wednesday's crash sent four teens to the hospital. Their conditions are unknown. State highway patrol said they were traveling in a pick-up truck and did not yield to on-coming traffic. All four had seat belts on at the time of the crash, according to Sharon Township's fire chief.
A Rittman school board member said two of the victims are high school students at Rittman Academy. The other two are Wadsworth High School students, according to the district's superintendent.
“They definitely need a four-way stop or a flashing light," said Brandon Dugan, a Wadsworth resident who crashed at Boneta and Fixler roads a year and a half ago. "If they don’t do that, lower the speed limits on each road.”
Dugan said he collided with another car when he blew through a stop sign there. He suffered a fractured skull, a broken wrist and leg.
Medina County's engineer Andy Conrad said he is re-opening an investigation into the intersection after Wednesday's serious crash which shut down roads for hours. Last year, Conrad said he conducted a crash analysis study which concluded that most accidents occurred because drivers were not yielding to oncoming traffic.
Lurtz said the township increased the signage at the intersection last year but will now be pushing the county to install a four-way stop or a flashing light.
The speed limit on Boneta and Fixler roads is 45 miles per hour. At the intersection, it drops to 35 miles per hour.
