By Dennis Box-The Courier-Herald

A 23-year-old woman died the night of Dec. 14 after failing to make a turn on a stretch of road at the north end of Lake Tapps that has seen numerous accidents over the years.

The woman, Kristin Goforth, hit a tree in her 2000 Chrysler Cirrus in the 20900 block of 12th Street East near North Tapps Middle School. The car caught on fire and burned before rescuers could remove her from the car.

The tragedy underlines a longstanding problem on the road, according to Kristina Allen, who lives at 20905 12th St. E. The tree Goforth hit was on the edge of Allen's property. Allen said she has been trying to get Pierce County to put up a guardrail or realign the road for years because of the high number of accidents on the turn.

“This is a terrible turn,” Allen said. “We had a drunk driver on a motorcycle come around the corner and miss the tree, but the motorcycle landed in our yard. We've asked for a guardrail (from Pierce County). I'm saying for our safety we need it. If she (Goforth) had hit a guard rail she might not have died.”

Allen said the problems on the road are a combination of speed and a difficult turn. Several years ago firefighters gave her flares to use because of the high number of accidents on the turn.

The county has put up reflective warning signs, but the turn continues to be a serious problem.

Jim Ellison, Pierce County traffic engineer, said the county is “in the midst of a traffic engineering study and analysis. We are gathering as much information as we can, including the police investigation. We'll have a completed study early next year.”

Ellison said he did not know if a guardrail is the best solution. The road was slated to be reconstructed several years ago, but money was the problem.

“Realigning the road is the best way,” Ellison said. “But we've never been successful securing the funding. We are so dependent on matching funds from the state.”

Allen said she has contacted both state Sen. Pam Roach and County Councilman Shawn Bunney concerning the problem. She said her children, an 8-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, heard the car hit the tree and saw the fire from her living room. Allen said she is worried about her kids playing in their front yard or waiting for the bus in front of her house.

Last month a car took out two warning signs on the turn and Allen said her family found the driver's side mirror in their front yard.

“How many will it take?” Allen said.

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com.