Local woman on speeding: “I’ve had one dog and four cats hit”

BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) –  A local woman wants something done about drivers speeding in her neighborhood before someone gets hurt.

On Ewart Avenue, the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour. Christina Acord says every day, she sees people going up to 60 miles per hour.

“I have to pull in and back in my driveway,” explains Acord. “Every time, someone almost hits me. One wasn’t even watching because he was on his phone and drove behind me in the driveway. One threatened to shoot me because I was fussing because she almost hit me.”

Acord’s children are older, but she says her neighbor has kids that she fears will be hit playing in their own driveway.

“We have four small children that live next to me and I’m terrified.  They’re all, I believe, under eight years old. If they get loose, someone’s going to kill them.”

In the past year of living in her home, Acord has had five pets killed due to drivers refusing to slow down.

“I’ve had one dog and four cats hit that I know of. Neighbors have had more hit. The last one, actually, the person hit them and threw them behind a car across the road so we wouldn’t see them.”

She hopes police will do something to stop the problem, but so far, it doesn’t look like the drivers will slow down anytime soon.

“I’m just hoping they’ll do something to slow them down a little,” said Acord. “I’m sure they can’t put a speed bump because of the traffic, but maybe signs. Something to let them know there are children and animals around here that are in danger.”

Acord says she loves the neighborhood she lives in and doesn’t want to move, but the speeding has to stop.

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Kassie Simmons
Kassie Simmons joined the team in January 2019 as a weekend journalist. She graduated from Virginia Tech in just two and a half years with a BA in multimedia journalism. During her short time at Virginia Tech, she served as the editor for the university’s chapter of The Tab. Kassie was named the top reporter for The Tab at Virginia Tech on multiple occasions and made the list for the top 30 reporters for The Tab in the U.S. She also studied theater performance and minored in creative writing. Before coming to WOAY, Kassie interned at WSLS in Roanoke and the Tidewater Review in her hometown of West Point, Va. She has loved following breaking news since her childhood and has a passion for delivering the stories people care most about. Kassie is excited to be working in Southern West Virginia and looks forward to all the adventures ahead of her. You can follow her on Twitter at @KassieLSimmons and like her page on Facebook. If you have a story you think she should check out, send her an email at ksimmons@woay.com.