Those who travel State Road 54 in Pasco County know just how congested it is and just how dangerous it’s become.
With a population boom happening in Pasco County, this main thoroughfare is jam-packed each day with bumper to bumper traffic. More and more people are moving into the county, which means more and more drivers depend on this route.
Traffic back-ups are common. Sadly, so are accidents.
On Wednesday afternoon in Wesley Chapel at SR-54 and Curley Road, a seven-car pileup sent a Florida state trooper to the hospital after he was ejected from his motorcycle.
The bike ended up sandwiched underneath an SUV during a chain-reaction accident.
Luckily, everyone involved in the crash survived. The trooper is said to be in stable condition and recovering at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa.
Just 24 hours prior, a 17-year-old student lost her life along State Road 54 in New Port Richey.
Witnesses are still shaken by what they saw Tuesday afternoon. The teenager was making a right turn from Duck Slough Road onto SR-54, according to witnesses.
They say they watched as another driver tried to make the light and hit Lilia Morris at full speed on her driver’s side.
Angela Mowry, who works across the street, heard the accident.
She was heartbroken when she heard what happened.
“It’s the worst we’ve ever seen. We heard it,” Angela said. “It’s just awful, awful. People go way too fast. They need to slow down.”
State troopers tell us they patrol SR-54 on a regular basis looking for speeders. In addition, traffic engineers work diligently to time the lights, so that the traffic flows smoothly, factoring in large areas of congestion.
Members of law enforcement tell us, bottom line, people need to slow down, watch their speed and not be in such a rush.
“Drivers are always flying by, someone trying to get somewhere in a rush, in a hurry. It’s bad out here. They just need to slow down,” said Angela.
