Seminole County engineers finish analysis of dangerous Casselberry intersection

CASSELBERRY, Fla. – Seminole County engineers have completed their investigation of a deadly intersection in Casselberry. FOX 35 News first brought you this story on Black Friday. A 21-year-old was killed on his motorcycle on Thanksgiving night at the intersection of Bird Road and East Lake Drive. 

Today the flowers in the median of the four-lane highway still mark the crash site. Across the street are pieces of bumpers and headlights left behind from crashes in recent weeks. 

Seminole County Traffic Engineers spent the last few weeks analyzing the intersection after people called on the county to put in a traffic light. In the end, the county says one isn’t needed.  

Charlie Wetzel and his team spent the last few weeks analyzing the intersection of Bird Road and East Lake Drive.  

“The intersection of Bird came up just a little short,” said Seminole County Traffic Engineer Charlie Wetzel. 

The county looked at a number of factors before making a decision. They say traffic volume is the biggest factor. The intersection was just below the needed congestion for a light. 

“We are aware of the problems out there and we were trying to see what we can do,” said Wetzel. 

The county does plan to install three new lights to help brighten up the road. They also plan to trim some of the trees and bushes to help see around the corner. 

“There are already signs warning of the intersection ahead so those look pretty good. We also want to collect speed data to see if there is a speeding problem on Lake Drive. We believe there is,” said Wetzel. 

People living off of Bird Road felt the intersection was becoming too dangerous after Vincent Young, 21, was killed on Thanksgiving Day.

Neighbors recall at least four crashes in the intersection in the last month and a half. Seminole County crash data for the intersections shows another four crashes since June. 

FOX35 spoke with neighbors including Kendra McWilliams who started the petition to improve this intersection. They tell us they have mixed feelings about the county’s conclusion. They are disappointed a light won’t be going in but are glad the county is doing something. They just hope it’ll be enough. 

“There are definitely possibilities to save lives,” said McWilliams earlier this month. “There are too many accidents happening so frequently.”

Since the intersection just missed the cut for a light, the county says they will be back out in the spring to run a second analysis to see if the traffic volume has increased enough to warrant a traffic signal.