Neighbors look for changes after car crashes

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)– Driving down Torchwood Boulevard in New Hanover County is a cut-through many people use daily.

Residents who live off that road say people drive way too fast especially around one sharp turn and that led to a crash Friday morning.

“We have had four fence hits,” Glen Ridge Homeowner Association President Howard Crist said. “We have had numerous cars come through this ditch and out.”

“A car was going westbound on Torchwood and eventually was carrying too much speed to negotiate that curve,” Crist said. “It took out two chevrons, came through the ditch, hit and took out about 90 feet of the fence line.”

Crist said HOA will pay for the fence repairs, but that won’t fix the underlying issue.

“I would expect this would be maybe 3,000 dollars,” Crist said.

It’s a re-occuring problem that has caused families to worry about their children’s safety.

“The ones who live next to this road which is Torchwood,” resident Joe Vega said. “I’m pretty sure they are not comfortable letting their kids play in their backyards now.”

Residents hope to work with NCDOT to find a solution and say adding speed bumps could slow down drivers.

Highway Patrol says the driver was charged with failure to maintain lane.