Hopewell Twp. cemetery fence is the scene of multiple crashes

Oct. 01--HOPEWELL TWP. -- George Benton is used to cleaning up after car crashes.

As manager of Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery on Brodhead Road in Hopewell Township, he has seen more cars crash into the cemetery fence than he can count.

"It's a nightmare," he said.

Benton has worked at the cemetery since 1994. He isn't sure why so many drivers end up plowing into the iron and brick fence, but speculates speed is often a factor.

Hopewell Township Police Chief Brian Uhrmacher said there doesn't appear to be one singular cause to all of the accidents.

The most recent damage, he said, was caused when a driver fell asleep at the wheel. The fence was also struck earlier this year by a driver who swerved to avoid hitting another vehicle, he said.

Uhrmacher believes many other things have played a role, such as drivers having a medical issue while on the road, icy conditions, deer running out into the road and drunken drivers. Some of the accidents have been hit-and-runs, he said, so the department was never able to determine what caused the crash.

The road is a busy one.

"Brodhead Road is fairly heavily traveled, particularly during the morning and afternoon drive times," Uhrmacher said.

Benton had just finished writing up insurance paperwork for a previous accident when the latest one occurred in September. He said he has always been able to fix the fence through the driver's insurance, so it hasn't been a cost to the cemetery.

Benton thinks there were about four accidents last year alone.

The fence is custom-made and sometimes takes months to fix. Benton said a headstone has never been damaged during his time at the cemetery, but he has found debris from crashes several yards into the property.

Over the years, the fence has been struck in various places. Benton jokes that the wall around a Serbian cemetery across the street has never been hit.

He's helped out in several of the accidents, calling for help and waiting with the driver. Benton thinks the fence is a little too close to the road, and would one day like to see a guardrail placed between the road and the fence.

Family members of people buried at Mount Olivet have never complained to Benton about the frequently damaged fence, but he still tries to make the cemetery as peaceful as possible.

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