Calls are being made for more safety improvements at an intersection in Penticton, B.C., that has become notorious for serious crashes.
Two weeks ago, Michelle Prystay was travelling northbound on Highway 97, also known as Channel Parkway in Penticton, when she was struck by a left-turn driver at the Warren Avenue intersection.
“Somebody was coming south, and you think (they) are going to stop but he didn’t. And he cut me right off, and within two seconds you have to slam on the breaks,” said Prystay.
“Not even time, there was nowhere to go. It was so scary. It happened so quick.”
The incident left debris scattered across the highway and the vehicle that hit Prystay knocked out a power pole nearby.
Prystay and the other driver both walked away from the incident uninjured, however, her pickup truck was destroyed.
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“It was an iconic (pink) truck in town,” she said. “Even the paramedics recognized it, and they were sad when they saw how brutal it was damaged and everything.”
Around the same time last year, Penticton resident Amira Awad was traveling in the same area when she too was struck by a driver turning left across the highway.
“Both cars were totaled – the airbags went off and everything,” said Awad.
“When I got out of the car, I was like my hand really hurts … my hand broke in three places.”
According to ICBC statistics the Warren Avenue and Highway 97 intersection is one of the most dangerous locations in Penticton with 87 crashes between 2019 and 2023.
Prystay believes that additional safety measures or a traffic light could prevent future accidents at that site.
“We need something, we need a light; we need something to help traffic be organized here,” said Prystay.
“People are in too much of a rush and when you are in a rush, you are thinking you can beat the traffic and most of the time you don’t.”
The City of Penticton directed our questions to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure as the Channel Parkway is a provincial road. The City says any changes or improvements to traffic flow would be at the discretion of the ministry.
The Ministry of Transportation was unavailable for an interview on Friday.
“They need to do something different,” said Prystay. “There are going to be deaths happening, and when is it going to change? We have to save lives. My life almost got taken, and I don’t want someone else to be taken.”
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