NASHVILLE, Ga. (WALB) - Neighbors in one Nashville community say they have begged for help for years to stop speeders on Dogwood Drive. Now, after a car slammed into a family’s home, they believe their fears have finally been proven true.

Residents say the speeding has gotten so out of hand that many no longer feel safe letting their children play outside. Kenneth Carter, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years, says it has only gotten worse over time.

“Traffic just goes too fast by this house. You can be inside and hear them, and you will know they just pushed it to the floor sometimes,” Carter said.

Families along Dogwood Drive say they have contacted city and county police, but were told neither agency has jurisdiction to write tickets on the road. After going to city council, a city officer began sitting in the area, but neighbors say only warnings have been issued — not citations.

Greg Brightbill says he has gone to meetings and spoken with law enforcement, but nothing has changed. He says he even warned officers that the speeding could cause a serious accident.

“Two weeks before this happened, I said ‘it’s only a matter of time before something happens,’ and then I saw that. And fortunately the house hit instead of the kids. If the kids were out there playing as normal, it could’ve been a lot worse,” Brightbill said.

The crash happened at the home of Shelby Stutzman, a mother of four who had left just moments before the wreck to pick up her children from school.

“Looking back on the camera was when reality sunk in because, you know, it was less than about two minutes before my daughter and I were sitting literally right in the spot where the tow truck had come through. And then normally that is where my kids are playing soccer when we get home from school... Within a few minutes, that could’ve been a different turnout than just our house getting hit,” Stutzman said.

Neighbors say they have discussed their own ideas to slow drivers down, including lowering the speed limit and adding radar enforcement.

“Anywhere in Nashville where it’s city limits, the maximum speed should be 35 miles an hour in the city limits, and set a radar to slow people down once in a while,” Brightbill said.

Nashville Police confirm they are aware of the problem, but say they cannot write citations because the road is not certified for their jurisdiction. The department has increased its presence in the area to encourage drivers to slow down, but full enforcement falls to the Georgia State Patrol (GSP).

GSP said their Tifton post patrols the area but that they have not received any complaints about speeding.

“We’ve tried sitting out here and voicing for ourselves and yelling at cars,” Stutzman said. “And state troopers claim they are going to help us. We’ve reached out, and the police department is doing what they can within their limits, but it’s not helping.”

Residents say they have been warning officials for months that someone is going to get hurt as a result of the speeding. Many hope that by speaking out now, change will finally come before another family is put in danger.

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