Woman arrested after crashing into fence

Oct. 14--A woman was arrested Thursday after crashing into a homeowner's fence shortly after 4 p.m. on the southside.

St. Joseph Police said the accident occurred when a woman was driving a Ford Taurus eastbound on Mason Road. She attempted to make a left turn onto 14th street and collided with a Chrysler Sebring traveling west on Mason Road.

"I don't understand why they don't put a stop light there or put slow down signs both ways east and west. ... These people gonna get killed driving down that highway like that," said James Martinez, the homeowner who had his fence struck.

The Chrysler came to a rest on the road. The Ford came to a rest in a ditch on top of log after striking a fence.

"Both cars were demolished and that's always almost the case," James said. "The airbags break open and if these people were not belted they would be dead."

He moved into the house 31 years and said drivers typically crash into his fence twice a year costing him hundreds.

"We have paid once or twice and the insurance company of the people who have run into it have helped pay it, but sometimes they don't pay all of it," Martinez said.

He and his wife learned of the crash after hearing a loud slam while inside their home.

"She (his wife) said 'there's another one' and she went to the door. ... and said look at what they did to my fence again," Martinez said.

The passenger in the Taurus was not injured. The man in the Chrysler was transported to Mosaic Life Care by family. Officer Robert Paul said both cars had extensive front-end damage.

"They had one gentleman sitting down because it knocked him out and they sat him up and tried to get him awake," Martinez said.

The woman was arrested after officers performed a field test to check for impairment. No citations were issued on the scene. The accident is under investigation.

___

(c)2016 the St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, Mo.)

Visit the St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, Mo.) at www.newspressnow.com/index.html

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.