The family of a Prince George teen involved in a vehicular collision on Sunday (May 31) is calling on City Council to install a pedestrian controlled crossing light at First and Ospika.
The family is aiming to see it in place before children go back to school full time in September.
18-year-old Sean Lode is recovering in hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to his mother.
“It’s overwhelming. All your life you teach your child ‘walk on the sidewalk, don’t jaywalk, go to the pedestrian crosswalk’,” said Stephanie Lode.
“They did everything right (…) they looked both ways, and the car looked like it was going to stop and it didn’t. It just kept going right through. Then Kaylee, Sean’s girlfriend stepped back, the last thing she saw was Sean flying through the air and hitting the cement.”
Sean is currently under sedation, facing an approximate recovery time of six months to a year.
Due to Covid-19, visitation at the hospital is limited, so only Stephanie is allowed to go in.
However, she is not allowed to visit every day so the family has been receiving updates on Sean’s condition by phone.
Sean’s sister, Mavra, has launched a petition for the cause, which is at 1,457 signatures out of its goal of 1,500 (June 2).
“The feedback and responses have been amazing. Everybody seems to be on board because the intersection, it needs to be changed,” said Mavra Lode.
“No one else should get hurt there. It’s near a school, children cross it all the time.”
The intersection is located in a densely populated residential area and Quinsen Elementary School is nearby.
“When people come up Fifth Avenue, they turn right on Ospika. It’s a straight stretch all the way across Ospika down to Otway road. From there you can turn right and go straight to Miworth,” said Stephanie.
“They treat it like a raceway.”
Council is aware of the petition, and steps have been taken to move the request forward.
“I’ve talked to staff if they could check into the logistics of getting a controlled walk in there. I have also asked if they can get back to me and let me know if, in fact, that intersection is on our upgrade list and then we will go from there,” said Mayor Lyn Hall.
“There are a lot of steps to it, it’s not a snap your fingers overnight deal, but if the ball is rolling we can see change quite fast as well,” added Councilor Kyle Sampson.
“It’s great to see our community to come together and stress a need for greater safety.”
You can find the petition on change.org.
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