30 March 2009
Site Where Man, Baby Died Was Accident Waiting to Happen
Saskatoon Saskatchewan - A Saskatoon woman says the
road near Dafoe in central Saskatchewan where two people died Friday is a "perfect storm" for accidents.
The stretch of road near the crash site has a highway intersection, a busy truck stop, and a railroad crossing, all within a short
distance, Angela Butuk says.
On Friday afternoon, a 43-year-old man and a three-month-old baby were killed on the tracks at Dafoe near
the intersection of highways 6 and 16 when a train hit their SUV.
"I guess what I am suggesting is that there is a lot of information for a driver to process in a very short distance", Butuk
said in an email to CBC News. "It's pretty obvious that this is a dangerous "perfect storm" for this kind of tragedy
especially when you factor in the increased volume of rail and highway traffic".
Two female passengers from the same vehicle remain in hospital in critical condition.
Butuk said she travels through Dafoe frequently and even if you know the area well, the intersection can be hard to navigate.
The day before the SUV was hit, Butuk said, she had her own scare on the crossing. "Sort of before I realized it, I was on the
train tracks... the lights were on and I was very, very spooked by that", she said in an interview with CBC News on Monday.
"When I realized someone had lost their life, I was devastated because I could see how easily it could happen".
Since the accident, Butuk has sent emails to the Saskatchewan highways minister and Canadian Pacific Railway.
She hopes they will look at the railway crossing and see if more markings should be put up.
The accident at Dafoe, about 160 kilometres east of Saskatoon, was one of three fatal crashes in the province this
weekend.
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