‘This again’: Residents, neighborhood officials call for action in wake of latest dangerous crash on Williamson Street
MADISON, Wis. — Madison resident and former Williamson Street tenant Pete Baisden is unfortunately no stranger to crashes like Monday’s that saw a vehicle hit a building.
“My first reaction was kind of just like ‘Ugh… this again,'” Baisden said.
The crash Monday morning saw a vehicle hit the Willy Street Treasure Shop. The car only came to a stop after ramming into the wall of the vet clinic next door.
Police said the driver suffered a medical incident prior to the crash. No one else was hurt.
“We worry just for pedestrians, because if this is happening and they are hitting businesses… what else can happen?” Baisden said.
RELATED: Car crashes through Willy St. Treasure Shop storefront; owner was inside building
That question is something Marquette Neighborhood Transportation and Safety Committee Chair Lance Lattimer has been worried about for years.
“In my short time on the board (there has been) a car crash on Mother Fool’s Coffee House, the former Banzo Kitchen on the 1500 of Williamson Street, Ha Long Bay on the 1300 block,” said Lattimer.
Another dangerous crash Monday only adds to Lattimer’s concern.
“I would be wary if I was a business owner in opening something on Willy Street because of this trend,” he said. “From all of these crashes that have happened, on a busy bike and pedestrian corridor… it worries me for the safety of those that live around here.”
After several pleas to the city asking for change in the past failed, he hopes this is a wake-up call before the result is deadly.
“This crash today has only heightened the need for immediate action to be taken,” said Lattimer.
For now, another dangerous crash has hurt an innocent business on Williamson Street and it’s frustrating for those that love this neighborhood.
“This just keeps happening, and this isn’t a business that can afford to be out of business during the summer like this,” shared Baisden.
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