Family calls for more traffic safety after revisiting NW Bakersfield crash

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The McClellan family revisited the site of a head-on collision that changed their lives forever, on Noriega Road, next to Polo Park. The family is asking for more traffic safety in the area.

What started as a normal day, taking her son to school ended with all three of them in the hospital.

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The McClellan's Camry was hit head-on by a Volkswagen Beatle, and the Beatle's driver claimed she fell asleep behind the wheel after working all night.

Deidra McClellan, was knocked out during the collision, her 13-year-old son's arm was broken, and her youngest son was traumatized.

The anniversary is almost to the day said Deidra, "I had my oldest Jordan with me, and my littlest was Aaron in the back seat."

"They put a blanket over my mom 'cause I'm guessing they thought she was passed because she wasn't moving," said Jonathan McClellan, the older son.

Aaron McClellan, Deidra's 3-year-old younger son suffered from a seatbelt burn, and was traumatized, "For days after the accident, he went silent, he went mute, I don't know if that was some type of processing trauma but he went mute, he didn't speak to anybody, he didn't cry."

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On the road, you can still see the marks where the accident occurred, a painful reminder of the danger here, "I woke up a day later, in the hospital. Do you know that you were in a head-on? Do you know your boys are at Madera Children's Hospital? Do you remember anything? No. It's a dream."

Now the family is calling for safety improvements where the accident happened.

"I honestly think if we had a little bit more traffic enforcement in each school zone, even just one I think honestly that could make a huge impact," said Daniel McClellan, the father who was working at his shop in Wasco when the accident happened.

Nearby crossing guard Tony Bolinger said he's worked the corner of Old Farm and Noriega for two years. He's seen multiple close calls and crashes. He thinks that the city should put a stoplight here.

"We have quite a few wrecks on this corner since they widened the road, I think a bad accident where somebody gets hurt really bad is what it's gonna take before they realize before they realize we're gonna need to have a light here," said Bolinger.