Deadly Cemetery Road crash sparks safety concerns in Lehigh Acres

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)—A deadly crash Wednesday on Cemetery Road between Buckingham and Lehigh Acres killed one person and sent five others to the hospital, prompting neighbors to call for safety improvements.

The crash happened near the intersection of Cemetery Road and Dana Road. Neighbors say the stretch of road has become increasingly dangerous as more people move into the area.

People who live along Cemetery Road say they are used to the sounds of traffic. Many drivers use Cemetery Road as a back route to get onto major roadways like State Road 80.

Heavy congestion and aggressive driving have made the two-lane road a dangerous place to drive, neighbors said. Anthony Miller, who lives on Cemetery Road, described the conditions.

"It's a speedway down that road. It's a two-lane road. There's people passing you, and you're coming this direction down. You'll be sitting in a line of traffic, and you have somebody blow by you at 50 miles an hour, and then they try to cut in up ahead. But the ditches are steep on both sides, so if God forbid somebody is coming at you, you got to make a decision. Are you gonna? What's going to happen?" Miller said.

Miller said Wednesday's deadly crash is something neighbors see happen all the time. He hopes the incident leads to long-term safety improvements on Cemetery Road.

"You see accidents here all the time. You still have people that will speed around, and they don't care. They're thinking about themselves and nobody else," Miller said.

"They need to find a way to get back through to 80, so people don't have to come through the neighborhoods in these small roads," Miller said.

The Florida Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash. Little sign of Wednesday's crash remains at the scene.