Lancet Jades
05-30-2004, 10:10 PM
Cars Plunge Into Beaver Lake
Arkansas 94 Ends In Water
Saturday, May 29, 2004
By Dave Bellows (dbellows@nwaonline.net)
ROGERS -- In less than a month, eight vehicles have plunged into Beaver Lake at the end of Arkansas 94 in Monte Ne. No one has been hurt -- yet.
"We had a drowning there three years ago; somebody ran a car off in the lake and didn't make it out in time," said Capt. Danny Dickie, head of the Benton County Sheriff's Office Dive Team.
Dickie's dive team has been called out to help get vehicles out of the lake at that same spot half a dozen times in about three weeks. There have been more cases of cars submerged at the highway's watery terminus this year so far than in the previous two years combined, Dickie said.
It's true the lake level is extraordinarily high this spring, bringing the water further up the road, but that's no excuse for the careless driving that leads to these accidents, said Capt. Tom Brewster, field commander for the sheriff's office.
"There are two sets of rumble strips and a great big 'Dead End' sign," Brewster said. "If they go past those and then still can't stop in time when their headlights hit the water, they're driving too fast and not paying attention."
Barricades were placed near the end of the road to stop cars from driving into the lake, but deputies responding to cars in the water have found them repeatedly moved out of the road. "We suspect fishermen are doing because they launch their boats there," Brewster said.
Moving the barricades contributes to a dangerous situation. "There's always a possibility someone will drown," Brewster said.
Arkansas 94 Ends In Water
Saturday, May 29, 2004
By Dave Bellows (dbellows@nwaonline.net)
ROGERS -- In less than a month, eight vehicles have plunged into Beaver Lake at the end of Arkansas 94 in Monte Ne. No one has been hurt -- yet.
"We had a drowning there three years ago; somebody ran a car off in the lake and didn't make it out in time," said Capt. Danny Dickie, head of the Benton County Sheriff's Office Dive Team.
Dickie's dive team has been called out to help get vehicles out of the lake at that same spot half a dozen times in about three weeks. There have been more cases of cars submerged at the highway's watery terminus this year so far than in the previous two years combined, Dickie said.
It's true the lake level is extraordinarily high this spring, bringing the water further up the road, but that's no excuse for the careless driving that leads to these accidents, said Capt. Tom Brewster, field commander for the sheriff's office.
"There are two sets of rumble strips and a great big 'Dead End' sign," Brewster said. "If they go past those and then still can't stop in time when their headlights hit the water, they're driving too fast and not paying attention."
Barricades were placed near the end of the road to stop cars from driving into the lake, but deputies responding to cars in the water have found them repeatedly moved out of the road. "We suspect fishermen are doing because they launch their boats there," Brewster said.
Moving the barricades contributes to a dangerous situation. "There's always a possibility someone will drown," Brewster said.