A 22-year-old Wilmot Township woman was killed in a crash at the intersection of Oxford Road 5 and Punkeydoodles Avenue on Saturday.
According to Waterloo Regional Police, around 7:35 p.m., a black Ford and a white Nissan crashed in the intersection.
The 22-year-old Wilmot Township woman driving the Nissan was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger, a 16-year-old Wilmot Township girl, was taken to an out-of-region hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police confirmed the two are sisters.
“The two females, the deceased 22-year-old and the 16-year-old who was injured with life-threatening injuries are sisters who are from Wilmot Township,” Const. Melissa Quarrie, with the Waterloo Regional Police Service said.
A 19-year-old Oakville man driving the Ford was taken to an out-of-region hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“The investigation is actively ongoing by our traffic services unit, and we are asking anyone who witnessed the collision who yet hasn’t spoken with police to reach us,” Const. Quarrie said.
Anyone with information or who may have dash-cam video is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.
CALLS FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS
Punkeydoodles Avenue is connected to Highway 24. The road has no reduction in speed coming off the highway.
It crosses at the intersection with Oxford Road 5. Punkeydoodles Avenue does not have stop signs at the intersection. There are stop signs for motorists on Oxford Road 5, but people living nearby said often drivers don’t stop when they are supposed to.
“I’m actually very upset and mad about it that this has happened,” Shannon Snyder, who lives at the corner of the intersection said.
“It’s sad, it’s heartbreaking, it’s fixable,” Snyder said.
Shannon Snyder has been living at the corner of the intersection of Punkeydoodles Avenue and Oxford Road 5 for 15 years.
She said collisions are constant in the area, and she always worries about what she will find after hearing a crash outside.
“I can’t even count how many accidents we’ve seen out here. It is a daily occurrence that people run the stop sign,” Snyder said. “People who are familiar with the intersection actually will stop anyways because they know that there is a problem, but if you’re not familiar with it they’re just going kind of full speed,” Snyder said.
Snyder said neighbours have been pushing for changes for years, like adding warning lights or a four-way stop at the intersection. But the crossing roadway straddles Wilmot Township, East Zorra-Tavistock and Perth East, meaning each council has to agree to a change.
“Nobody’s sure who the problem belongs to basically,” Snyder said.
