NEENAH, WI -- As authorities investigate a deadly car crash in the Town of Neenah that killed a 19-year-old woman Friday night, nearby residents are trying to do something about what they're calling a dangerous intersection.
Those who want to change the intersection in the name of safety are taking to an online petition, requesting traffic signals replace the two stop signs at county highway CB, and Oakridge Road.
In fact, the petition was actually posted just days before Friday's deadly crash.
When you live as close to the scene of Friday's fatal accident as Corey Popp, you start paying attention to what might be causing the collisions.
"It's actually 12 lanes of traffic," says Popp, standing in his driveway just a mile away from the scene. "There's 8 turn lanes, there's 4 through lanes, and all of it is controlled by two stop signs."
Popp and others say they've raised concerns about the intersection in the past.
"You get the sun that beats down there in just the right way, even with the reflectors, it's really blinding," says Greg Cameron, who made the intersection part of his weekly drive for years.
He says he's also hoping to see a change there.
"Throughout the years, I've seen a lot of accidents, heard a lot of accidents," says Cameron. "I used to use that road quite frequently."
Popp says data from the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office shows that, since 2013, the intersection has been home to 22 traffic accidents.
"It's gotten busier and busier through the last few years," adds Popp.
Now, Popp is urging people to sign his petition to replace the intersection's stop signs with traffic lights, though at first, he admits, he wanted to push for a roundabout.
"When I contacted the County, they told me that the most likely upgrade for the intersection would be traffic lights," says Popp.
The intersection has already been analyzed by the County Highway Department twice, who decided then that the scene warranted no additional traffic control.
But it's scheduled to be reviewed again, this summer, "and they said, 'you know what? [The petition] can help. We always like to hear the opinions of neighbors, and residents," says Popp.
Popp hopes, by then, the petition will be too popular to ignore.
Popp says he has no concrete signature goal for his petition, saying the more signatures, the better.
He says he plans to present the petition to Town of Neenah leaders, along with the highway department.
To see the Change.org petition, requesting the traffic safety additions, click here.
