Driver Stops Just Short Of Plunging Pickup Into West Kingsfield Ravine

August 2, 2018

A driver barely missed plunging into a deep ravine on West Kingsfield Road Wednesday.

The driver failed to property negotiate one of several curves on West Kingsfield between South Highway 97 and Beulah Road, with his pickup truck coming just short of the ravine.  Area residents estimated that the ravine is about 15-feet deep.

There were no injuries reported in Wednesday’s crash.

Photos by Elizabeth Westmark for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

9 Responses to “Driver Stops Just Short Of Plunging Pickup Into West Kingsfield Ravine”

  1. Jennifer berke on August 3rd, 2018 3:03 pm

    So glad I dont live off West Kingsfield anymore. The road is basically a race track. I cant believe they put an Elem school on that road. They better put some speed bumps or do something. Its frightening enough knowing middle school kids walk along side that road but not Elem kids. Too many developments going up and nothing being done to the roads. No excuse.

  2. Deputy Dog on August 3rd, 2018 8:13 am

    BG? You never go over the speed limit? If you work, do you not take time to eat anything during work time?

  3. Elizabeth Westmark on August 3rd, 2018 7:52 am

    The current District 5 County Commissioner is Steven Barry. Because of the Board’s long-standing tradition of granting “commissioner courtesy” for projects within each commissioner’s home district, he alone has the power and responsibility for deciding when or if the Kingsfield Extension Project is built. The project, which was approved by the full board for final engineering in November of 2017, would take thru traffic away from the curvy part of the road to allow that portion to return to a local use road, and extend W. Kingsfield straight through to Beulah Road. Also when and whether the existing 18 foot wide road between Hwy 97 and Beulah is brought up to some semblance of county standards, to get water and dirt off the road, resurface it, and widen it at least enough for two school buses going in opposite directions to be able to stay in their own lanes and to allow a big enough water line for fire suppression which we do not now have.

    Mr. Barry has a big job and has to establish priorities. Help him make these important decisions by letting him know your views on the subject. Mr. Barry’s office phone number is 595-4950. You may email him at District5@MyEscambia.com.

  4. area resident on August 2nd, 2018 7:38 pm

    We lived on West Kingsfield Road 15 years ago when it was a quiet, peaceful part of the county. We spent some time at a home recently right around the corner from our old place and could not believe the traffic! Would be nice if Escambia County Commissioners would take traffic into consideration before approving so many new neighborhoods. Let’s get Nine Mile Road done already. Should have been done 20 years ago, long before Navy Federal construction was even started. Commissioners, we are not just stupid tax payers. Most of us are hard working people and can’t attend the occasional town meetings. Consider sending out opinion ballots so that we, the public, can help you with county planning.

  5. Steve on August 2nd, 2018 7:23 pm

    BG.. You only see what you want to see.
    But Officers have tons of paper work that they CALL IN, and they dont like setting by themselves as they dont want to get ambushed. So yes you will see 2 cars setting or maybe 3.. But its to call in reports from stuff that happened earlier.
    Ticket writing takes seconds.. They much rather do that.

  6. BG on August 2nd, 2018 2:06 pm

    They can’t write tickets, they don’t have time. They are sitting somewhere watching
    cars speed by while they talk. OR at Tom Thumb eating a hot dog.

  7. Baffled on August 2nd, 2018 11:27 am

    People dodging all the potholes left and right on that road couldn’t have helped. This will only get worse as they amount of school buses doubles with the new school addition. This road should have been completely redone over the summer vice patching every 2 weeks. Now there won’t be a time to do so until next summer with all the additional bussing that requires use of that road. Of course that construction would have just added to the traffic nightmare we presently have in Beulah.

  8. Escambia Citizen on August 2nd, 2018 11:05 am

    It’s going to take someone losing a life before our commissioners wake up and realize something must be done about this road. Its too narrow, the entire thing is crumbling and the constant speeding make it a death trap.

  9. Speedy on August 2nd, 2018 7:43 am

    That road has become a racetrack since the navy federal folks figured it out. The poor people who live around those corners are always waking up to cars or car parts in their yards. More crashes now and it’s only getting worse because leo’s are busy with other things instead of the casual ticket writing stint there. Heck a sobriety check on that road might pay a few deputies salaries for a while!