To the editor:

I am writing in hopes that I can help make a change.

On Jan. 15, my daughter was in a horrible car accident. With God on her side, neither she nor her passenger was severely hurt. The accident happened in a low-lying area of Quaker Road, where flooding had occurred.

Apparently a beaver dam has blocked the culvert, causing the road to flood after several days of rain. Since it had not rained a few days before her accident, no one would have expected the road to be flooded still. There are no lights on the road, and it is pitch black in that area. Add water and black ice, and the danger would be both real and invisible.

On the night of the accident, there were no “High Water” signs to warn drivers of the flooding, nor was there any salt laid for the black ice that had formed as drivers had come through the water.

My daughter, traveling around 40 mph, hit the water without warning, came out of that hazard and then hit around four feet of black ice. After encountering the ice, her car then slid off the road and continued sliding until it ended up resting on a tree. The vehicle was a total loss.

I am not asking for money from the city or anyone else. What I ask is that the city take responsibility for the upkeep on this road. According to several homeowners, there have been numerous complaints about this flooding and the beavers there. I also drive a school bus and hear drivers on the radio warning other bus drivers of this water.

It is no secret that the city would like to build some kind of “Town Center” and raise our taxes for something that will probably be as useless as Waterside in Norfolk. But where is the money to fix the roads in the rural parts of Suffolk?

My daughter and her passenger’s lives were spared. How many more accidents will it take before someone looses their life due to the lack of upkeep on these roads?

There are certain roads that flood on a regular basis. If the city is aware of these roads, then there should be a plan to check them regularly to prevent such a tragedy. Step up, Suffolk officials, and take responsibility for maintaining the roads in the country.

As a taxpayer, I would rather the roads be fixed now. The town center can come later.

Robin Patterson

Suffolk