Call for action after car crashes into family's garden

39 year-old dad-of-two Ciaran Wilkinson fears nothing will be done about the Limavady Borough accident blackspot where his house sits until a fatality occurs. Last Thursday a car lost control on the bend of the Lower Drummonds corner. The driver crashed through a DOE warning sign, a perimeter fence and two large panels of the family's boundary fence before coming to a halt in the middle of their garden. The Wilkinson family say this is the twelfth time a vehicle has entered their garden after losing control on the bend since they moved they moved to the Point Road home. Dad Ciaran says he has now "banned" his two young daughters from using the garden until something is done by Roads Service to make the high use road safe.

Mr Wilkinson told the Sentinel: "It's go to the stage now where we don't use the garden. Even when I'm out on the ride on lawn mower I'm constantly looking over my shoulder to see if a car is coming. You just don't know.

"I have an 11-year-old and 13-year-old and myself and my wife have had to ban them from using the garden. It's simply too dangerous, you are taking your life in your hands when your out there.

The dad of two continued: "We can think of at least a dozen times where cars have entered our garden in the last seven years. And most of the time we are ending up paying for the damage ourselves. There have been people who have driven off, people who have left their insurance details but later refused to pay; it's just too costly to take it through the courts. So this is becoming very expensive for us as well."

"We would just like the DRD to do something about this, but we fear that no action will be taken until someone dies. Our local councillor Paddy Butcher has been pushing at Road Service to do something about the black spot, but not much has been done."

Councillor for the area Paddy Butcher has called for speed ramps to be implemented on the dangerous bend to slow speed.

The Sinn Fein councillor commented: "The frequency of accidents at this corner has been a local issue for years. Residents are living in fear of their lives and no longer to allow their children to play in their own garden.

"The last serious incident was in June and there have been further minor crashes since but this one is a bad as I can remember. Thank God the Wilkinson family were not in the garden at the time.

Councillor Butcher has also called for the road to be immediately reassessed as a "priority Black Spot".

He added: "After the June incident I met with PSNI Road Traffic branch and a representative of Road Services. The Department allocated 10,000 for work to be undertaken under the 'Collision Remedial' programme in the Northern Division Roads report which was presented to Limavady Council in November. To be fair Road Services began work in December but then the snow storms began.

"Over a period of time I have had several discussions with the Department and have heard all the arguments about budget constraints and cut backs. However preventative action must be taken before we have serious injury or God forbid a fatality in the parish."

He concluded: "The view of the local community whom I represent is that hazard warning lights which are very expensive to install and maintain are no deterrent to the "boy racers". Crash barriers, again very expensive would certainly protect property but would almost certainly increase the risk of serious injury to the occupants of the vehicle. The local community argue that the most cost effective solution is to put speed rams before and after the Lower Drummonds corner. I agree with them and that's what Sinn Fin are campaigning for."

A Roads Service Spokesperson said it would continue to review the roads condition, particularly that of Lower Drummonds corner.

The spokesperson said: "Lower Drummonds bend on Point Road is in Roads Service's 2010/11 programme of improvements. The works will include measures to enhance driver awareness of the bend from each direction. Roads Service will continue to keep this issue under review."