Residents still concerned by accidents at City/Riverside curve

A dual truck tire flew off a semi truck on M-52 in the early morning hours of July 27, and landed in Wendy Lineweaver's kitchen.

August, 2016. February, 2017. December, 2019. And July, 2021.

For the fourth time in less than five years, significant damage has been done to two homes along Riverside Drive where the M-52 curve was re-configured in 2012. Excessive speed, sleeping drivers, and now a runaway dual tire have caused freakish accidents near Randy and Vickie Garrett's home at 400 Riverside Drive and a duplex apartment building owned by Earl Carver at 320 Riverside Drive.

Most recently, the Garretts' neighbor, Wendy Lineweaver, who lives in Carver's building, woke up at 5:45 am after hearing a crashing noise downstairs. She found a dual tire had come through the front window of the house, into her kitchen.

"The truck kept going," she said. "No way to track down where it came from. The insurance adjuster has still not come to see the damage. I have not heard from nor seen anyone since it happened."

Because the accident happened between 4 and 8 am, before there was a WCSO deputy on duty in the village, the Michigan State Police is responsible for the report. Sgt. Joel Gebauer of WCSO said he had been unable to get any information from MSP regarding the incident. Lineweaver said that the MSP had texted her and asked her to send pictures, which she has done.

Vickie Garrett said she had been in contact with both MDOT and Village Manager Jeff Wallace. "I haven't heard back from MDOT," she said. "Jeff replied that there was nothing he could do, it's MDOT responsibility (because M-52 is a state highway.) I reached out to Elio in Rep. Donna Lasinski's office the morning of the accident, but haven't heard anything from that office yet."

Garrett has been lobbying to get reflectors up like they have in the town of Adrian, on south M-52. "I was told before COVID that we would get them, but (the Village of) Manchester would be responsible for upkeep. But I checked with Adrian road commission about the cost (and) I was told that MDOT takes care of them. I feel like a bouncing ball being bounced back and forth.  I really think (reflectors) could help slow down the traffic."

After the December 2019 accident that totaled Randy's pickup, Garrett reached out to Sen. Lana Theis' office and heard from a representative that it had been determined in 2017 that a guardrail in front of their home was not feasible due to MDOT requirements.

The letter received at that time says, "When the last incident occurred in February of 2017, MDOT implemented an incremental approach to improvements. We installed reflectorized post inserts on the curve advance warning signs, installed a chevron sign with reflectorized post insert, and improved the pavement marking in order to better delineate the curve.

"Since there has been another crash, it is our determination that we will place additional delineator reflectors around the curve (in front of the Garrett’s house), and install temporary rumble strips on the centerline of M-52 in the curve area to provide warning to errant motorists traveling northbound on M-52. Please be advised that MDOT does not typically install rumble strips in residential areas, as they can lead to noise complaints from residents. That is why we are pursuing the temporary rumble strip option. If we receive complaints regarding noise due to the installation, we will have the ability to remove them."

Obviously, MDOT did not need to remove the strips. Most of them were scraped off by snowplows over the past winter. "That was a joke and a waste of tax payers' money," Vickie says.

Aaron Jenkins, MDOT Communications Director for the University Region, said in response to an email inquiry from the Mirror, "We are aware of crashes in the area and have responded to community members' inquiries. As you have mentioned, the crashes were attributed to speeding, careless driving, and even mechanical failure.

"MDOT encourages everyone to make safety their top priority. We continue to work with our community partners to seek out innovative ideas and ways to keep Michigan roads safe."

Lineweaver agrees. "MDOT needs to send someone to figure out how to really slow down the traffic through here," she said. "There is a sinkhole beginning to form in the road on the manhole cover. I'm not sure why they have to wait until someone gets seriously injured before they do something about it."

Vickie Garrett is most concerned about keeping the road safe, as well. She added, "I watch kids on their bikes with their fishing poles and backpacks crossing in front of our house to go fishing off the old bridge. It scares me sometimes with the traffic.

"I will never give up for asking for a guard rail in front of our house, but the reflectors could help. It would help with the speed of the traffic. Channel 4 news WDIV Detroit, was out here last week because of (the most recent incident). I know this was an accident, but it's just stirring the pot, about the speed."

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.