Drowning? Second Teenager Dies Near Leamington But Cause Still Not Confirmed
While the cause seems more certain, the death of a second teenager after a vehicle became submerged in a roadside ditch near Leamington is still not being discussed. The deadly incident occurred on night of June 16, 2019.
Another Googlemaps image shown in a Windsor Star newspaper article is the only objective evidence available with respect to how the double-fatal collision occurred.
The Windsor Star newspaper confirmed that this was a single vehicle incident, suggesting that there was likely no other significant, injury-causing incident before the vehicle carrying four teenagers entered into the water-filled ditch at the T-intersection of Mersea Rds 1 and 19. Now the newspaper is suggesting that the third occupant of the vehicle may also be fighting to survive. All three teenagers became trapped in the upside-down vehicle while the fourth person was able to escape and is reportedly in good condition.
This is the extent to which the public has to fight “tooth & nail” for basic information about matters that may involve their future death or that of these close family and associates. If these teenagers drowned and if they drowned because they could not escape their overturned vehicle and if they drowned because a roadside barrier was not installed are all matters of public relevance.
This is not the first occasion where Gorski Consulting has raised the issue of vehicular drowning and the lack of publicity being paid to this danger. In an article posted on March 22, 2013 to this Gorski Consulting website we discussed a similar scenario where three young men likely drowned after their vehicle overturned into a water-filled, roadside ditch near Alliston, Ontario. The opening paragraph of that incident is shown below.
“On January 12, 2013, three families in the Alliston, Ontario area received the tragic news that three teenagers died when their vehicle travelled off the Adjala Townline Road and came to rest upside down in a water-filled ditch. The right-rear wheel of the vehicle was found detached therefore questions would exist as such a result does not occur from a simple, out-of-control rotation. An impact to the concrete wall of a bridge was possible and therefore it raised the question why a guardrail was not installed adjacent to the bridge. As the vehicle was found after sunrise it was not known when the vehicle entered the ditch and if the teenagers drowned because they could not exit the vehicle. The steep sides of the narrow ditch might have made it difficult for the occupants to open the doors of the vehicle. The cause of death has never been revealed to the public.
Similarly, in an article posted on September 30, 2013 (“Roadside Barriers and Death By Drowning – An Important and Hidden Issue”) we reported on a number of incidents where poor barrier design/installation, or a complete lack of a barrier, resulted in unnecessary deaths. We have also made regular comments on the News webpage of the Gorski Consulting website about the latest drownings.
What if police and the official news media actually paid attention to these warnings and connected the dots? Would there be a heightened awareness and therefore an impetous for change? Might have we looked at a number of road segments where drownings were more probable and might we have made changes? Would we have prevented the needless multiple deaths that occurred near Leamington? Difficult to say since that has not happened.
Lack of Roadside Barrier Results in Submersion of Vehicle in Fatal Crash Near Leamington
Vehicular drownings remain an unpublicized problem as demonstrated in the latest death near Leamington, Ontario on June 16, 2019. The Windsor Star Newspaper provided some images they obtained from Googlemaps showing the intersection where a crash occurred resulting in one of the vehicles rolled over in a water-filled ditch. Three of the four teenagers became trapped in the vehicle while a fourth managed to escape. One of those trapped youngsters died. Two of the Windsor Star images are shown below.
Googlemaps view of water-filled ditch at the intersection of Mersea Rds 1 and 19, near Leamington, Ontario.
Googlemaps view of water-filled ditch at accident site.
The Windsor Star article did not clarify how the single occupant sustained fatal injuries and whether it was due to drowning. This is a problem that needs correction.
There are numerous water-filled ditches along roadways throughout Essex, Chatham-Kent and Lambton counties. A vast number of these roadways contain no barriers between them and the ditches. While it is recognized that barriers are erected to keep vehicles away from roadside dangers such as steep slopes, rock cuts, trees and poles, that recognition seems to fail when it comes to understanding the danger that exists when a vehicle enters an area of water. While modern technology has managed to protect occupants with airbags, seat-belts and various other safety features, none of these can protect an occupant once a vehicle rolls over and becomes submerged in water. In fact, deployed airbags and jammed seat-belts may even make it more difficult for occupants to quickly exit a submerged vehicle. Yet the importance of these roadside dangers is rarely discussed in public.
Drownings and vehicle fires remain the dark secrets that will continue to take innocent lives until more publicity is provided by police and official news media of these important issues.
Lincoln Alexander & Red Hill Valley Surface Data Now Available
This article contains the data from road surface testing along the Lincoln Alexander and Red Hill Valley Parkways that was conducted by Gorski Consulting on May 15, 2019. The Red Hill Valley data was obtained just before it was closed for re-surfacing.
The table below shows th data for eastbound travel on the Lincoln Alexander Parkway.
The table below shows the data for northbound travel on the Red Hill Valley Parkway.
There has been much controversy regarding the possible hiding of a report that showed the poor friction on the Red Hill Valley surface. The above tables show a different measurement of the road surface quality by examining the disturbance in the motion of the test vehicle as it travels at highway speed over the noted highway segments. Previous articles posted to this Gorski Consulting website have shown similar data for Highway 401 between London and Tilbury, as well as data along Highway 402 between London and Strathroy.
Comparing the results from those other studies the Lincoln Alexander shows the worst results, even worse that the Highway 402 data.
View looking eastbound along the Lincoln Alexander Parkway approching the Upper Sherman overpass. This view was taken on Jun 16, 2019, This was the location of the worst road surface data.
The Red Hill Valley data is slightly better than the Highway 402 data.
Further testing was completed yesterday on the Lincoln Alexander and Red Hill Valley Parkways in response to a complaint that the newly paved Red Hill was deficient. That data is yet to be organized and analysed. However, as mentioned earlier, there was no indication during the testing that the surface caused unusually high levels of disturbance to the test vehicle. The photos below show some of the Red Hill Valley surface after it was repaved. These views were taken on June 16, 2019.
View looking northward on the newly repaved surface of the Red Hill Valley Parkway. This view was taken on June 16, 2019.
This northward view along the Red Hill Valley Parkway shows the approach to King Street on June 16, 2019.
This northward view along the Red Hill Valley Parkway approaching the King Street overpass was taken on June 16, 2019.
Once the June 16, 2019 data is properly complied and posted we will have more to say about it as well as its relationship to all the previously collected data.
Red Hill Valley Parkway – New Paving Receives Complaint
In a “Letter-to-the Editor” of the Hamilton Spectator Newspaper, a local reader complained about the roughness of the newly-paved, northbound lanes of the Red Hill Valley Parkway. The letter read as follows:
Newly-paved road a disaster
RE: Red Hill
I had the displeasure of using the newly-paved downbound portion of the Red Hill Expressway. It is a disaster.
In my normal day of work, I teach bus and truck driving for a large trucking company here in Hamilton. Today I transferred one bus to London and returned with another to Hamilton. The bus is a beautiful Thomas coach. I had no trouble driving and handling it from London via 401, then 403 to the Linc in Hamilton. But once getting onto the new pavement of the Red Hill downbound, it felt as if my tires were out of balance and the steering started to shimmy, plus the ride was a bit bouncy. My conclusion is that the paving was rushed and not tested at high-speed driving. This is why the pavement is uneven. I predict that there will be some anxious moments by drivers in the next few days.
To further exacerbate the Red Hill’s downbound problem, the road marking where the road comes up to Barton Street is incorrectly painted. This intersection since its inception has had three lanes, one left turning lane, middle lane turning both left or right, and the curb lane turning right. The pavement markings were correct prior to repaving. But now there are two left turning lanes and one right turning lane despite the signage on the post advising drivers otherwise. Tsk, tsk, tsk, rushing things causes a big mess that will have to be corrected later.
I suggest that the City of Hamilton should have some big vehicle go downhill, obeying the speed limit and see what is the experience.
Dez Miklós, Hamilton
Gorski Consulting completed testing of the surface of the Red Hill Valley Parkway on May 15, 2019, or just a few days before the re-paving was commenced.
View of northbound lanes of the Red Hill Valley Parkway taken on the day of testing by Gorski Consulting on May 15, 2019
Assembly of the video project is almost complete and the numerical analysis will begin within the next day or two. We should have some results shortly. We may also return to the re-paved surface and re-do the testing to see what difference there is in the readings. We expect to up-load all this information on this website shortly.
UPDATE: June 16, 2019; 2100 Hours
In light of the comments made by the above-noted complainant Gorski Consulting expedited our re-testing of the re-paved surface by attending the Lincoln Alexander and the Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) this evening. Testing was conducted in the same manner as carried out on May 15, 2019 which was done before the re-paving occurred. These two testing dates will provide a good comparison of the surfaces of the two expressways before and after the RHVP re-paving. Our impression while driving over the re-paved RHVP surface was that it appeared to be smooth and not consistent with the observations of the complainant noted above. However that complainant was reportedly driving a bus and there could be a difference in experience compared to the Buick Allure passenger car that was used in our testing. Once we have analysed the data we will have more to say on this issue.
Highway 402 – Tables of Road Surface Condition Data Obtained From Testing on April 29, 2019
Tables showing the data obtained from specific locations along Highway 402 are provided here from testing conducted on April 29, 2019. As discussed in previous articles this data contains information about the disturbance in the test vehicle’s motion caused the surface conditions of the highway. The areas of greatest concern exist primarily in the westbound lanes of Highway 402.
The table below shows the data obtained while travellling eastbound commencing from Centre Road near Strathroy, Ontario to Miller Road approaching London, Ontario.
The table below shows the data obtained from travelling westbound on Highway 402 from Miller Road, west of London, Ontario, to Hickery Road, near Strathroy, Ontario.
As mentioned previously, there are a number of segments of Highway 402 that contain poor surface conditions. The photos below were taken in the westbound lanes of Highway 402 just west of Olde Drive on June 14, 2019. It can be noted that nothing has changed since similar photos were taken (and uploaded in previous articles) on May 21, 2019.
Condtion of Highway 402 westbound lanes just west of Olde Drive on June 14, 2019.
Condition of Highway 402 westbound lanes just west of Olde Drive on June 14, 2019.
Gorski Consulting is presently working on the compilation of the data obtained from the Red Hill Valley Parkway in Hamilton, Ontario. This data was obtained on May 15, 2019 or just a couple of days before the Parkway was re-surfaced. It will be of interest as there has been considerable controversy since a road surface testing report became lost showing poor surface conditions. The report was then found resulting in public outcry after suggestions that the surface conditions resulted in a number of collisions on the Parkway. The testing performed by Gorski Consulting examines different surface parameters than those in the lost report. This data will be reported in an upcoming article.
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