On the Skids in Carbon Canyon #12839

It's been pretty quiet lately, well, not necessarily quiet, as the roar of engines and the screech of tires still is a very regular occurrence, but there hadn't been a noticeable accident of note for some time.

Until sometime between Saturday morning and Sunday morning (going on a limb here to suggest Saturday night), when that familiar spot on the Brea side of Carbon Canyon where the entrance to the motel on the old La Vida Mineral Springs property is located.

Already for the third time since the major road improvements were made on the state highway by CalTrans District 12, the guardrail there was hit by a vehicle heading westbound.

In this case, the car or truck took the sharp curve just east of that spot a little too fast and skidded off the road and into one end of the rail.

Though the crushed rail end was there on Sunday, the folks at CalTrans got there first thing this morning and put a new end on there before the photos here were taken about 9:30.  The 5.3 mile marker was also plowed down and has been righted, although it has the twisted and tweaked appearance of some of the other markers and reflectors that have been mowed down over the years.

It should also be noted that there are some significant skid marks further west on the road, one being at the bottom of the downgrade from Olinda Village and the other set a bit west just past some 45 mph curve signs.   Collisions may not have taken place there, but something apparently did.

As always, drivers navigating the canyon, particularly on evenings and especially those on weekends, should exercise extra caution.  Most times when cars leave their lane and cross over to the other and head off the road, no one else is involved (at least, that has been the case lately), but who knows what will happen when the situation is different?