Construction workers put up barricades after car drove into trench in Galveston, eyewitness says

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A week after a car drove into a hole in a Galveston intersection, witnesses told ABC13 that no barricades were up warning drivers not to drive through.

Police confirm this happened exactly on Nov. 7. Records show the 37-year-old driver is OK and wasn't severely hurt. ABC13 spoke to an eyewitness who said he spotted the construction workers putting barricades behind the vehicle after the crash had already happened.

"He went straight into the ditch, went into the ditch like that," witness Jose Urena said.

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Urena lives near the crash site on 23rd Street and O Avenue in Galveston. Photos and videos shared to ABC13 by a viewer show a Toyota 4Runner stuck in a trench.

"The guy driving fell down into the hole. So, I started running over there," Urena said.

He said there were no barricades, and it was dark, making it difficult to see the hole in the ground that construction workers had excavated.

A police report states the car drove into a 15-foot hole that was unmarked, with no traffic control devices deterring traffic. Witnesses like Urena said workers started putting barricades up after the crash to make it appear they were present during the crash.

"I said, 'Why are you putting up the barrels and everything right now? It's too late. It's not making sense. He got hurt,'" Urena said.

A week later, barrels, caution tape, safety mesh, and metal road signs line the same intersection. Eyewitness News reached out to the city of Galveston spokesperson on the matter to find out about the construction company contracted and to see if policies are in place to avoid dangerous situations like this. They have not responded.

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