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Sheboygan distracted driving crash problems
Distracted driving has gotten so bad in Sheboygan, even parked cars aren't safe in the street. One couple had their car totaled and the replacement crashed into within three months' time.
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - Distracted driving has gotten so bad in Sheboygan that parking your car in the street is now a risk. Just three months after their car was totaled while parked in front of their house, a Sheboygan couple's brand-new car was hit in the same parking spot.
"I come running outside, and I see this car up in the middle of the road, and I say, ‘Oh, I hope he didn’t hit our car.’ And I walked around it, and sure enough, the car was hit again," said Jarred Burns.
Burns and his wife Meghan were so excited when they bought their home two years ago.
"We are about the only one in the area without a driveway," said Burns.
Jarred Burns
He didn't think that would be a big deal since they only own one vehicle.
"Well turns out it is a pretty big deal," Burns said.
Late Thursday night, there was a crash outside Burns's home.
"I’m not even sure how he hit it this way because when you first come around, it doesn’t look that bad," said Burns. "You see, it's scraped up here. But here you see clearly the axle has been busted, and the wheel is touching here."
Distracted driving crashes, Sheboygan residents concerned
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It's like a bad case of Déjà vu for burns. Back in May, his car was hit and totaled while parked in the same spot.
"Went to check on the other driver, and it just reeked of alcohol," Burns said.
Police reports show that the driver was arrested for OWI. The driver in Thursday night's crash told Burns he was swerving to avoid hitting an animal.
"We got this car. We’ve had it maybe a month and a half; we haven’t even made the first payment on it yet," said Burns. "Probably totaled this car out too."
Distracted driving crashes, Sheboygan residents concerned
Burns told FOX6 his insurance is providing a rental car for him and his wife. In the meantime, he will continue to walk the few blocks to work and hope people are smarter on the roads.
"You’re kind of accountable for yourself in that situation because the police show up afterward," said Burns. "People need to start paying better attention."
FOX6 News called the Sheboygan Department of Public Works to ask about the possibility of putting up signage or speed bumps to make the street safer. The Sheboygan police were also contacted to see how often these kinds of crashes happen. No response as of Aug. 18.