AVON — The Indiana Department of Transportation is making changes to an Avon road after a woman died in a 3-vehicle crash on New Year's Day.
“Our community knows her pretty well — it was just a disbelief,” Fishers resident Amy Cradick said.
Laura Dickens, 58, of Indianapolis died after she was ejected from and hit by her own vehicle during the crash at the intersection of Rockville and Raceway roads. The intersection is near an active construction site.
Dickens and Cradick worked at the Texas Roadhouse in Avon together for more than six years. Cradick called her a "staple" in the restaurant.
“My thoughts immediately went to her grandchildren, which she did everything for. Every tip that she made was something to do for them and better their lives,” Cradick said.
Cradick drives on Rockville Road, also known as U.S. 36, several days a week when she commutes from Fishers to Avon and knows how dangerous the intersection where the crash took place could be.
“When it’s raining and the lights are reflecting off the buildings, it makes the pavement very hard to see lines, so I personally believe there could be improvements to make it safer,” Cradick said.
Cradick opened a case form on INDOT’s website asking for temporary lane markings and navigation on that stretch of roadway.
INDOT responded and says they will have a crew go out and restripe the lines on the road to make sure they are visible. To help with that, INDOT is adding more glass beads, which will make the lines more reflective in the dark.
“We went back to the contractor and said what can we do during these winter months until we get back to the construction project to make this safer,” Mallory Duncan, Strategic Communications Director for INDOT, said.
Duncan also said that INDOT is going to put new arrows in the turn lanes. That work will start in the springtime or once the weather gets warmer.
