A Maryland homeowner says nine vehicles have crashed into her front yard in just two years, leaving her to push for speed humps near a sharp bend by her Catonsville property. Baltimore County says the road now qualifies for the traffic-calming measure, but installation would still depend on support from nearby property owners and available funding.
Krista Cantafio lives on a corner lot near a sharp curve off Wilkens Avenue. According to the report, the bend is marked from the roadway, yet drivers continue to enter it too quickly, run wide, and leave the pavement before ending up on her lawn. The repeated incidents have made Cantafio cautious even when walking around her own front yard, where she now feels she must watch for approaching vehicles.
The crashes have also created repeated repair costs. Cantafio says she has spent thousands restoring damaged trees, grass, and mailboxes after vehicles crossed onto the property. Traffic-calming steps have already been tried on the road, including rumble strips, but WMAR-2 News reported that those measures have not prevented further crashes.
Cantafio wants speed humps added near the curve to force drivers to reduce speed before reaching the bend. Baltimore County has determined that the road meets the requirements for them, but that finding does not mean work can begin immediately. At least 75 percent of property owners living next to any proposed speed humps must approve the plan before it can move forward.
Even with enough neighborhood support, the project would still require funding. The source says officials would need to secure the money needed for installation, leaving the timing and final outcome uncertain. Cantafio’s request therefore depends on both local approval and a separate funding decision, despite the number of crashes already recorded at the property.
The most recent incident involved a dark blue Nissan Rogue. Security footage from outside Cantafio’s home recorded the crash, although a large tree blocked the vehicle from view for part of the sequence. The audio captured the SUV’s tires screaming as it went through the corner, after which the Rogue broke through small boulders placed in the yard, crossed the grass, and stopped only a few feet from the house.
Cantafio was not in the yard when the Nissan came onto the property. The latest crash added to a pattern that has already brought nine vehicles onto the lawn within two years and reinforced her call for stronger traffic-calming measures. The next step is for the proposed speed humps to gain the required approval from adjacent property owners, followed by the funding needed before installation can take place.
