TOLEDO, Ohio — The roundabout at the intersection of South Detroit Avenue and South Bryne Road in south Toledo has become a hotspot for accidents.
In 2021, a driver lost control at the roundabout and slammed into the rear of Scott Stoner's home.
"I immediately came home and saw the damage, it was devastating," Stoner said at the time.
A few months later, it was hit again. Now the house sits empty and half-renovated.
Neighbors that live just a few doors down said the accidents at the roundabout haven't stopped.
"There have been at least five accidents because they say they can't negotiate the curve, Denise Needing, who has lived on South Detroit Avenue for 16 years, said. But if they were going 15 miles an hour, they wouldn't have any problem negotiating that curve."
The sections of Byrne and Detroit just beyond the roundabout have 35 mph speed limits with signage indicating the need to slow down to 15 mph for the roundabout.
But Needing said ever since the roundabout was installed, the accidents have only increased. She said the most recent accident she saw was just a few nights ago. She motioned to a fence by a house that "has been knocked down three times since last summer," she said.
Not everyone in the area dislikes the roundabout, though. Scot Yarnell, who owns Earnest Brew Works at the same intersection, said despite what neighbors say, he actually thinks it's helped traffic.
"I love it, I do. I know if you lived immediately around here you might not like it because it cuts into your driveway and stuff," Yarnell said. "But we were here before the roundabout, and I would just hear tires screeching and people coming to a halt because the light would turn yellow and they were really flying down the road."
But the damage hasn't been missed by the area's city council member, Matt Cherry, who said the problem isn't the roundabout; it's the drivers.
"I certainly think it's an effective roundabout, the problem we have is that traffic accidents and people's driving habits -- not just in the city of Toledo, but all over the country -- have gotten out of control," Cherry said.
Cherry, the president of Toledo City Council, said a barrier can't be installed in front of houses because if someone were to hit it and die, the city would be liable. But, he's been working with the city to find ways to slow drivers down.
"Whether it's rumble strips or things of that nature, just to make people aware that people need to slow down and people need to start paying attention," Cherry said.
Cherry added that he plans to speak to Toledo police about enforcing more speeding tickets in the area to try to control reckless drivers and having more patrols stationed near the area to make sure people are watching their speed.