PIPE CREEK, Texas — A deadly stretch of roadway spanning multiple south Texas counties has seen over 400 accidents in the last five years, and 21 of those have been fatalities.
Crosses line the side of Highway 16, memorializing all the lives lost in tragic accidents.
One single family has experienced tragedy five times from wrecks along Highway 16, and every day they drive by the cross that stands in memorial for the one they lost.
Samantha Gleason was the first family member to see the accident along Highway 16 in Pipe Creek.
“Driving up on it was really hard because I was the first one to know who it was,” Gleason said.
Her father-in-law was killed in an accident, and Gleason’s family is just one of dozens sharing the pain of losing someone they love.
“It’s a huge loss to a lot of people,” she said. “People are going fast and not paying attention. Two seconds, you look away, and it changes everything."
According to Texas Department of Transportation data, from 2013 to 2018 422 accidents occurred on a portion of Highway 16 stretching through three counties: Bexar, Medina and Bandera.
Bandera County had 119 crashes, Medina 54, and Bexar had the highest number at 249 crashes. They're all accidents that Gleason’s family said affects the entire community.
She said her family has seen five family members, including herself, in accidents along Highway 16 in Pipe Creek near Krause and It’ll Do Lane.
“Coming home from work, I've driven up and all the emergency group is here, and then you find out it's your child. That just makes your heart drop to the bottom,” said Maevion Meyer, Gleason’s grandmother.
The family said they’ve reached out to the Department of Public Safety and TxDOT multiple times for help.
“They say it's not in the plans, or it's in the plans but not anytime soon,” Gleason said.
Then, they finally listened. At a community meeting Tuesday night, TxDOT officials announced they have plans for improvements. A representative said they’ll be adding a temporary turn lane on Highway 16 in Pipe Creek near Krause and It’ll Do Lane.
Next summer, TxDOT says, they also plan to widen sections of Highway 16 and change the temporary turn lane to permanent.
Meyer said she and the rest of the community appreciate officials listening to their concerns.
“There was some lives there that could have been saved if we'd had the turning lane,” she said.
Gleason said she just hopes no one else has to go through the pain of losing a loved one.
“You just hear they’re gone. It’s heartbreaking,” she said.