SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. — They are two long, straight country roads that meet at an increasingly problematic point.
Richard Houghton knows the Skagit County intersection of Best and Young Roads all too well.
Last weekend a 16-year-old girl died and three others were injured when she ran the stop sign and hit another car, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Houghton himself was nearly killed there 12 years ago when someone ran a stop sign and t-boned his truck.
"You trust the stop signs going the other way, but if people don't see them," he said, shaking his head.
Houghton broke his pelvis, half his ribs and his tailbone. He had a lacerated stomach, a punctured lung and had to have his spleen removed.
"It just struck me how preventable it could've been," said Houghton. "I was angry with Public Works for not having done more to prevent it after my accident."
Houghton believes it's easy for people to miss the stop sign, especially at night.
He said he warned Skagit County's Public Works Department about the hazard more than a decade ago, and asked them to put up a flashing red light to better alert drivers, but that never happened.
"They said they were looking into it, but didn't think there was money to put a light in," Houghton said.
County records obtained by KING 5 show there have been 5 serious accidents at the intersection over the past 5 years resulting in 6 injuries and 1 death.
In 4 of those cases, someone ran a stop sign.
"Somehow making the stop sign more visible seems like a cheap and valuable solution," said Houghton.
Skagit County has put up signs warning of a stop ahead, but people continue to miss it.
A spokesperson for the county told KING 5, "With all serious and fatal crashes, the County reviews the site and roadways to determine if there are issues with the roads at or near the crash location. Given the recent crash, Public Works will be reviewing sightlines, signing and the intersection in-depth."
For now, debris left behind from last week's tragedy and a roadside memorial serve as warning signs for an intersection that continues to claim victims.