Crashes spur Southold to revamp road rules

The first fatal accident at a Mattituck intersection that has been the scene of dozens of crashes and injuries has prompted Southold's supervisor and the Mattituck Fire Department chief to request help with safety measures from Suffolk County.

On June 24, Irma Judy Utter, 96, of Mattituck, was making a left turn onto Wickham Avenue from County Route 48 when she collided with an asphalt truck. Utter died in a hospital.

County Route 48, known locally as the North Road, is the fastest way on the North Fork to travel. But the four-lane roadway has been the site of two other recent fatal accidents. One of them was last month and involved a pedestrian in Peconic. In the other, motorcyclist William Helmsorig, 45, of Islip Terrace, died June 15 after being struck in Greenport by a driver turning left onto Albertson Lane.

Officials said speed has also been a source of concern along the once lightly traveled, bucolic roadway.

"Speeding is the number one complaint I receive as supervisor," said Scott Russell, Southold's supervisor.

The open expanse of road may give drivers, especially older ones, the illusion they have time to make a left into oncoming traffic, said Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley.

According to data from the Southold police, there have been 62 accidents and 34 injuries at Wickham Road and Route 48 since 2000.

Gilbert Anderson, commissioner of the Department of Public Works, received the requests from Russell and fire chief Sam Bail, and will begin investigating problems along the county road, specifically at the intersection at Wickham Avenue, said Deputy Commissioner James Peterman. One of the things the department will consider is whether to install a left-turn signal.

The public works department will also look at traffic volume and patterns at the intersection, Peterman said, adding that the work could take a few months.

Russell said volume has increased dramatically on the roadway this summer as more people visit and stay on the North Fork, and that speeding has worsened.

Enforcement to catch speeders on the road, where the limit is 45 mph, as well as in other areas of the town has been stepped up, said Flatley. State grant money for overtime has been used to patrol the road with local police, and the police department has a dedicated highway patrol team, in addition to regular patrol officers, he said.

Traffic usually lessens after the summer months, with the exception of fall weekends for farm and winery events, Flatley added.

"I often say I want a sign that says, 'Welcome to Southold. Slow down, relax and enjoy the view,' " he said.

Deadly route

There have been three fatalities in the past two months along Route 48 in the Town of Southold.

June 15: William Helmsorig, 45. In Greenport, where the highway turns from four lanes to two, a driver making a left onto Albertson Lane hit Helmsorig, of Islip Terrace, who was on his motorcycle.

June 24: Irma Judy Utter, 96. Utter collided with an asphalt truck while making a left turn onto Wickham Avenue in Mattituck.

July 24: Nery Javier-Lopez, 31. Javier-Lopez was walking along Route 48 by Henry's Lane in Peconic when he was hit by a car. He was struck again by a white van and dragged several yards, and was then hit by a third vehicle.