DAILY LEADER / KATIE WILLIAMSON / Construction work on these South Washington Street culverts has created a drop-off in the road.

Tuesday afternoon Samuel Wilcher Jr. drove his truck off an embankment in Brookhaven. The construction on the bridge at South Washington Street had resulted in an approximately three-foot drop-off that leads into a large ditch.

Wilcher said he was going down the road as usual and did not notice the drop-off until it was too late. He added that there were no traffic signs or barricades that alerted oncoming traffic to the construction.

“That could have killed someone,” said Wilcher.

The bridge construction is a joint city and county effort to improve driving conditions in the city by replacing old culverts. The street is in the city, but the county is in charge of the construction.

Wilcher sought medical treatment after the crash and has significant damage to his truck.

“We would have the ultimate responsibility for having a sign,” said David Fields, Lincoln County administrator. He added that the county is processing the incident through insurance to find out if/what the county is responsible for.

“If they had a barrier up, none of this would have happened,” said Wilcher.

Barriers have been placed on the road since Wilcher’s accident.

To submit a question about a problem on pubic property to the “You Asked” column, please email news@dailyleader.com. Please include the words, “You Asked,” in the email subject line. You also can call the newsroom at 601-833-6961, extension 133. Photos also may be submitted through email.