'It's pretty frustrating': Edmonton homeowner concerned about excessive speeding after driver crashes through fence

Car loses control in Carlton Speed bumps installed in the Edmonton community are not doing their job as recent fence crash demonstrates. David Ewasuk reports.

EDMONTON — Residents in a north Edmonton neighbourhood are frustrated after surveillance footage shows the excessive speeding leading up to a driver crashing through a homeowner’s fence.

It was Monday morning… 10:44 a.m. according to the information north end resident Derrick McInnes received from his neighbour.

“Someone had gone around the bend a little too fast, well quite a bit too fast,” McInnes explained to CTV News. “He went over not one but two speed bumps, skidded around the corner, hopped the curb and went over the sidewalk and ran into my fence.”

“I heard this terrible noise and it was quick,” said neighbour Ken Josok, “you could see the marks in the gravel and I obviously heard them go in there.”

The driver backed the vehicle out and fled the scene. Thankfully, no one was home at the time. “I have a two year old daughter and another one on the way,” said McInnes. “My neighbour, he’s got a couple of little ones too… there’s lots of young kids around.”

McInnes says video footage showed the driver going so fast over the speedbumps that the trunk on the vehicle flew open. “Around that bend with a speed limit of 35, they must have at least been going 70 minimum.”

Supplied to CTV News Edmonton

It’s a frightening situation becoming all too familiar to McInnes. “Couple of years ago – in the middle of the night – someone had gone around the bend too fast, they spun out and rolled over and their vehicle caught fire on someone’s lawn so they could have easily ran into someone’s living room.”

Stacie Ringrose, who walks her infant daughter in the neighbourhood, says the gradual speedbumps don’t make any immediate difference.

“It’s so scary to see that drivers don’t even seem to notice that there’s a bunch of kids running around on lawns and they’re still flying,” said Ringrose.

“The results could be deadly,” Ward 2 Councillor Bev Esslinger told CTV News Edmonton.

McInnes says ‘it is what it is’ when asked about what other measures could be taken to curb the excessive speeding in his neighbourhood – but he does have a at least one solution.

“Perhaps we have some unmanned photo radar,” said McInnes. “I know if I was 18 and I kept getting $200 tickets I’m probably going to slow down.”

Police were notified and have since gathered information about Monday’s crash. In the meantime, McInnes will repair his fence and take every precaution to keep his family safe. Even if that means adding metal posts or concrete barriers.

“If it was Sunday afternoon there’s a good chance that my daughter, and me, and my wife could have been outside,” he added.

“It is pretty frustrating.”