Fiery highway crash prompts motorists to rally for safer intersection

CTV Winnipeg: Residents want greater road safety Beth Macdonell reports on a call for greater intersection controls after a fiery highway crash on the weekend.

About a dozen people rallied Monday to raise awareness about what they call a dangerous intersection.

According to police, on Saturday a 65-year-old man ran a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 59 and Provincial Road 311 and crashed his vehicle into an SUV carrying two women in their twenties.

Barry Piasta organized the rally and about a dozen motorists made their way from the Niverville arena to the intersection in their vehicles.

Piasta calls the number of people hurt in crashes at the intersection unacceptable.

“I'm angry. Everyone in the community is,” said Piasta. “Because we keep trying to get something done, and nothing gets done with this intersection.”

Myron Dyck, Niverville's mayor, said the community's population has nearly doubled in the last10 years he wants changes to the highway.

“We need a short term solution with signs and lights, a reduction on Highway 59, rumble strips, all things that could be done in days,” said Dyck.

According to RCMP no one has died in a crash at the intersection since 2009.

Manitoba Public Insurance said there have been four crashes at the intersection since 2012.

Everyone involved in the crash Saturday was sent to hospital in Winnipeg.

Both RCMP and MPI said the numbers could vary on the total number of crashes at the intersection because not all crashes are reported.

- with files from CTV's Beth Macdonell