Leon Co. Commissioner calling for North Meridian safety improvements after crash

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Following a 17-year-old who was hurt in a crash on North Meridian Road Saturday a Leon County Commissioner is calling for safety improvements to the road.

In a Facebook post, Commissioner Brian Welch said that the teen who was hurt was a student of his at Chiles High School.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the teenager went off the road and hit a tree at North Meridian near Summerbrooke Drive.

FHP confirmed the teen was trapped in his truck after crashing and had to be removed from his seat and suffered injuries described as serious.

In addition to prayers for the young man’s family Welch is calling for those improvements to the road, however, there is not an agenda item to address any potential construction on the next county commission meeting agenda.

The area from Gardner Road to Summberbrooke Drive is a little less than a mile, however that stretch of road saw 16 crashes from March of 2018 to May of 2021. Including a crash in March of 2021 that killed two Chiles High School students.

Two months later, reflectors were installed to improve visibility and the county added Chevron signs to encourage drivers to slow down and make them more aware of curves in the road.

According to the county, they believe a solutions of adding light poles for better visibility on the road might lead to even more crashes because shoulder space along the road is already limited.

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