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Vernon County safety panel reviews Christmas-night fatal on Highway 82, urges shoulders and rumble strips
Summary
At a Vernon County Traffic Safety Committee meeting members reviewed a Christmas-night crash on State Highway 82 that killed one buggy occupant and discussed shoulder widening, centerline rumble strips and guardrail visibility as near-term safety fixes.
Sheriff Roy To Arterson told the Vernon County Traffic Safety Committee that a collision on Christmas night on State Highway 82 between Lafarge and Hillsborough killed one person riding in a horse-drawn buggy and seriously injured another.
“Evidence suggests that the Chevy Cruze was certainly left of center,” Sheriff Roy To Arterson said, describing the crash scene and thanking state reconstruction crews and local deputies for their work.
The sheriff and county safety partners discussed several safety measures now being pressed for by local officials: widening or paving shoulders to give horse-and-buggy traffic a place to travel off the traveled lane, installing centerline rumble strips on rebuilt segments, and altering guardrail heights where posts reduce sight lines at some intersections.
Todd Horn of the Bureau of Transportation Safety provided wider context on crashes and trends. “Since January 1 of 2024 to January 1 of this year, [state data show] 539 crashes, 5 fatals and 145 injuries,” Horn said, and noted that Vernon County and adjacent Clark County are among the state’s busiest counties for horse-and-buggy crashes.
Kyle Schultz, a state highway engineer on the call, said the segment of State Highway 82 between Lafarge and Hillsborough is scheduled for a paving project in 2026 and that centerline rumble strips should be part of that work. “If we can get it with this project we’ll try; otherwise it might have to be a standalone tie-in project,” Schultz said.
Committee members also identified specific spots for further review: a blind rise near St. John’s Avenue in White City, the intersection of Highway 27 and Highway 82 west of Liberty Pole where guardrail posts limit sight lines, and a location below Chaseburg near Overson Lane where a guardrail may be worsening visibility. The sheriff said deputies will continue to monitor tall crop encroachment into rights-of-way and coordinate with the highway department to educate landowners before planting seasons.
The committee did not adopt new policy at the meeting but recorded the crash report and asked staff to follow up with the state on project timing and possible standalone shoulder work.
Votes at the meeting were procedural: the body approved the prior meeting’s minutes (moved and seconded) and later adjourned; no formal policy votes on Highway 82 were taken.
