Two accidents in the last two-and-a-half months involving two cars slamming into homes along North Crystal Lake Drive, including one that left a man dead in June, has some calling for street lights or traffic signals along the narrow two-lane road.
Just after 2 a.m. Saturday, 22-year-old Jared Seymour was speeding eastward on North Crystal Lake Drive, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. He continued past the point where the road splits into a flattened Y, and barreled his car into a home that sits beyond the straightaway, deputies said.
One witness told investigators they estimated Seymour’s speed at 100 miles per hour.
A resident in the home was badly injured and taken to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center.
After the accident, Seymour tried to back his older-model red Jeep Cherokee out of the scene, but then realized he was stuck. Investigators said he repeatedly tried to walk away from the accident, telling deputies he just wanted to go home. He was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries. Investigators are awaiting blood tests to determine if impairment was involved.
Jacqueline Castillo’s husband’s cousin was injured in this latest accident. She told News Channel 8 that something needs to be done.
“It’s too dangerous,” she said. “There’s no lights, no signal lights or anything. It’s dark here to drive at night so people can’t notice it’s a really sharp curve.”
On June 19, a Dodge Durango crashed into a home about 100 yards west of Saturday’s accident, killing a 24-year-old Brazilian soccer player who was inside. Investigators say the driver was southbound on Longfellow Boulevard when he ran the stop sign at North Crystal Lake, struck two signposts and careened into the two-bedroom 1950s bungalow. It happened at 4:12 p.m. across from one of the main entrances to Southeastern University.
Dalton Collins, 27, of Lakeland – who was driving south on Longfellow Boulevard – lost control of the white 2016 Dodge Durango and crashed through the wall of the 1957 home, hitting the victim. Clerk of Court records show Collins has not been charged in that accident.
Lakeland Police records show that between June 23, 2018 and June 29, 2023, there have been 24 accidents on North Crystal Lake Road between Sunset Avenue and Hester Drive. In addition to the fatality, six accidents involved injuries.
Lakeland Planning and Transportation Manager Chuck Barmby said North Crystal Lake Drive is operated by Polk County. “I haven’t heard of any specific requests for traffic calming,” Barmby said.
Barmby said the Polk Transportation Planning Organization conducted a significant area-wide transportation analysis several years ago that lead to a “Safe Routes to School” funding award for the area around nearby Crystal Lake Elementary and Middle Schools. The county is in the process of installing $600,000 worth of sidewalks.
Barmby said that, at the request of Southeastern University, the city submitted a funding request to the TPO for sidewalk improvements along North Crystal Lake Drive from just east of U.S. 98 to Longfellow Boulevard in 2017. The project was completed about three years ago, with enhanced crosswalks to the east and west of Gapway Road cemetery.
A review of TPO documents online showed no mention of putting in a stop light or stop sign anywhere along the half-mile straightaway between Caricoa Drive and Hester Drive on North Crystal Lake Drive.
“Somebody needs to take responsibility for it,” neighbor Nicole Kenemuth told News Channel 8. “They sometimes forget to hit the brake and they’re never usually in their lane so they’re all over the place when they come around that corner. I think there needs to be some type of either speed humps or maybe better signage to show curve.”
Amy Gregory, Polk County traffic operations manager, said her office hasn’t received complaints or looked at placing a stop sign or traffic signal at Hester and North Crystal Lake Drive.
“This isn’t something we’ve had a history of complaints on,” she told LkldNow.
The county can place traffic calming devices – also known as speed humps – on residential roads, but North Crystal Lake Drive is what’s known as a collector road, one into which smaller neighborhood roads feed traffic, and therefore can’t have speed humps.
Gregory said that area is designed for people obeying the law and driving the posted 25 mph speed limit.
“We design for your average road driver, not for someone going way beyond the speeds the roads were designed for,” Gregory said. “This was late at night, there was speeding — we design for someone who’s sort of following the rules. I’m not sure if there’s something we could do that would’ve prevented that particular crash.”
A signalization study is about to begin for the intersection of North Crystal Lake Drive and Longfellow Boulevard, at the entrance to Southeastern University.
Bill Skelton, project management liaison for the Polk County Roads and Drainage Division, told News Channel 8 that the two cars-in-homes accidents are coincidental.
“We’ve certainly made efforts to make it a safer road. If there’s room for more improvements, we’ll certainly consider them,” Skelton said, pointing out that the already has signs alerting drivers to the curve, a signalized crosswalk and reflective markings.
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