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PLAINVILLE - A dangerous intersection will be inspected by the state after the latest in a long string of serious or fatal accidents.

The intersection of Route 1 and George Street has been notorious for years, with a dangerous combination of poor visibility and side street traffic merging onto a road where vehicles are travelling at near highway speeds.

Add to that a Dunkin' Donuts restaurant built a few ago, with motorists pulling in out of the parking lot, occasionally colliding with traffic on both streets.

"The state highway is coming down, and we're going to have a look at what's there," acting Police Chief James Alfred said. "We'll see if we can come up with some ideas."

Interest in the intersection has peaked again after an accident in late September in which Kimberly Davis, 41, of Plainville, was seriously injured when her vehicle collided with a car on Route 1 as she tried to merge with traffic after pulling out of Dunkin' Donuts. Davis was trapped in her car and had to be freed from the vehicle by firefighters.

Davis was cited after an investigation of the accident. The driver of the other car received brief hospital treatment.

Alfred said there have been a few fatals at the intersection, including one last year involving a motorcycle. There are also a number of rear-end accidents, he said.

Town officials said the intersection's location at the top of a hill adds to the problem.

"Clearly, it's a dangerous spot," Town Administrator Joe Fernandes said. "Given it's current condition, I'm not sure what could be done, but I'll leave that up to those with more expertise."

With high-speed vehicles travelling on Route 1, others merging onto the highway or trying to turn off it by making a left turn might not always see an oncoming car in time to make a complete stop.

Alfred said he could see installing left turn lanes for Dunkin' Donuts and George Street as part of a possible solution, but traffic lights would be better.

The problem with that, he said, is the red light might be hard to see.

"If there was a long line, you're liable to have an accident," he said.

A better solution, he said, would be to install the traffic light, along with an auxiliary blinking light ahead of it warning cars to stop. Alfred said he has seen that application on Route 146 just off the Mass Pike.

Study of the intersection also will at accident. Since Route 1 is a state road, the state Highway Department has to approve any work done there.

"I'm pleased someone from the state is coming," Fernandes said. "I just keep my fingers crossed whenever I approach it."