NATCHEZ &8212; Sloping down and angling back up, a bend in a county road has changed the paths of many in the Natchez area.

Martin Luther King Road draws out a path that takes traffic right through the curve many have labeled as dead man&8217;s curve.

It was the site of yet another accident Saturday night that killed Natchez man Savontay Christmas. The fatal accident can&8217;t be attributed to the curve though, Highway Patrol spokesman Rusty Boyd said. Christmas hydroplaned.

In fact, most accidents in the area aren&8217;t the road&8217;s fault, most locals said.

&8220;It&8217;s really not that dangerous, it&8217;s really just another curve,&8221; area resident Willie J. Pre said. &8220;You got to treat that curve with respect and treat the speed limit with respect.&8221;

Even with the 45 mph sign posted, Pre said speeding on that road is where the problem lies.

&8220;The county doesn&8217;t have radar guns and the highway patrol doesn&8217;t patrol the area very much,&8221; Pre said. &8220;People need to go the speed limit because once they get in that curve going that fast, it&8217;s too late to think.&8221;

Two deaths that have occurred since Sheriff Ronny Brown was elected but have not happened in the actual curve.

&8220;The last wreck we had was someone who made it through the curve and hydroplaned once they got out,&8221; he said.

Other workers and residents of the area say the continuing problems with the road are easily followed.

&8220;People need to slow down and pay more attention to that curve. That curve ain&8217;t no joke,&8221; said MDOT worker and area resident Jimmie Johnson. &8220;People get in the curve going too fast and it&8217;s too late for them to react. A lot of people have died in that curve.&8221;

Johnson said dead man&8217;s curve has been bad as long as he can remember.

&8220;A lot of people race and drag down this road and a lot of people have died in this curve,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;It&8217;s just a dangerous curve.&8221;

Johnson said the deaths from high speeds and dangerous conditions can&8217;t be controlled by any law enforcement.

&8220;I bend over and pick up trash on this road and as soon as I turn around there&8217;s another piece of paper there,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;You just can&8217;t control the public.&8221;