STEPHENVILLE — In the wake of another accident at a large anchor located near the entrance to Little Port Harmon, a Kippens man is again calling on Stephenville to have that structure removed.
Brian Duffenais of Kippens, whose nephew Edward Barry was killed in a car accident involving the anchor in 2003, believes the anchor should be moved.
Police are still investigating a Sunday accident involving a 21-year-old Stephenville woman who suffered injuries to her legs after her vehicle crashed into the anchor.
She was treated first at Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital in Stephenville and then transported to the emergency room in Corner Brook. Police said she was transported to St. John’s after that, but her injuries are non-life-threatening.
She was the only occupant of the vehicle and the fire department had to use tools to extract her from the vehicle.
Alcohol was not a contributing factor according to police.
Duffenais said the car his nephew was in during the 2003 accident smashed into the anchor and flipped a number of times throwing him 100 metres away.
“While I understand the rate of speed was only one of many factors that contributed to his death, I think if there had been some caution/warning lights in this area visible to oncoming traffic, he may be alive today,” Duffenais said.
He said he has contacted the Stephenville town council on this matter three previous times in the last year (Oct. 5, Oct. 24 and Jan. 27) regarding the removal of the anchor. Council has largely ignored his requests, he said, with the exception of erecting two caution signs 100 metres before the anchor.
“While I did praise the effort of the council for putting up the signs, I did express my dissatisfaction in that the anchor was still not removed from its current location,” he said. Duffenais said council’s response to him was that council felt the signs were sufficient to ensure safety, but Duffenais doesn’t feel those signs are enough.
“They’re beautiful anchors and I don’t mind where the smaller one is located, off to the side of the road; but the larger one is just in a dumb place where people can easily run into it. I realize it’s a monument of sorts and they (council) want it in the area and I respect that, just move it to a safer location,” Duffenais said.
When contacted, Mayor Tom O’Brien said he had no comment on the anchor.
Duffenais now has a Facebook page created titled “Let’s Make Little Port Harmon Safer for Everyone.”
The Facebook group now has more than 140 members and features photos of the site, including some during night hours, which Duffenais said demonstrates how difficult the anchor is to see during certain conditions.
Weblink: www.thewesternstar.com/Opinion/Letters-to-the-Editor/2012-03-16/article-2928555/More-changes-needed/1
