Experts Hired To Examine Site Of Fatal Woodbury Crash

WOODBURY, MN— The city of Woodbury announced it is hiring transportation experts to conduct a study of the intersection of Settlers Ridge Parkway and Sundance Way, where a deadly crash occurred March 13.

Garrett Bumgarner, 17, died at the scene, officials said. At least three other teenagers were injured and taken to the hospital following the crash.

Following the crash, a petition was started to turn the scene of the crash into a roundabout to stop future crashes from occurring. The petition now has over 4,100 signatures.

In response to the petition, Mayor Anne Burt previously said that the city was still awaiting results from the crash reconstruction that is being conducted by Minnesota State Patrol. However, Burt has since changed course after listening to the families of the victims and community members.

The crash reconstruction is expected to take months, the city said.

“It was our hope to first complete the investigation and reconstruction before deciding what, if any, action needs to occur next," Burt said in a news release. “However, it’s now become clear that the investigation could take many months. At the urging of the victims’ families and the neighborhood, we feel that it’s appropriate to begin an engineering assessment of the area now so we have the information available once the crash investigation is complete.”

The transportation experts hired come from SRF Consulting Group Inc., a consulting firm that will examine the design of the intersection, traffic volume, speed limit, and accident history, the city said.

The firm will also examine turning the intersection into a roundabout, the city said.

The study conducted by the firm will take about eight weeks, the city said.

The site of the crash has been the site of one other crash since 2011, Police Commander John Altman previously told Patch.