FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chardon-Windsor & Kile Road intersection is the scene of yet another serious
accident
6/2002 -- Claridon Township, Ohio
The Chardon, Middlefield,
and Burton Fire Departments, and Rural Metro Ambulance responded to yet another serious car accident at
the intersection of Chardon-Windsor & Kile Roads on June 13th, 2002 at
8:10am. This is the third serious accident in 2 years at the intersection.
The intersection, in rural Geauga County, involves a gravel road with a stop
sign and a heavily traveled county road on a downhill grade. There are no
visual obstructions at the intersection. All three accidents involve
driver who failed to stop at the Kile Road stop sign.
Two of the victims of
this latest accident were transported by Cleveland Metro Life Flight &
University MedEvac to area trauma centers. The third victim, an 11 year
old girl, was stable enough to transport by ground ambulance to UHHS Geauga
Regional Hospital by Rural Metro Ambulance. Her mother was Life Flighted
from the UHHS Geauga Regional Hospital, after initial ground transport by Burton
Rescue.
Chardon's new set of TNT Extrication tools (Jaws) were used on this
recent accident with the rapid removal of the roof of one of the vehicles.
Middlefield Fire Dept. also utilized their extrication equipment.
Two other
previous accidents involved fatalities, while today's accident left three
injured, two critically. The
accident had eerie similarities to two other serious accident that occurred in
July 2000, and June 2001, in which drivers did not see the stop sign at
Kile Road. In the 2000 accident, two girls were killed when their car missed a stop sign
southbound on Kile Road. The girls had been returning from a local water
park, and were unfamiliar with the area. The 2001 accident was almost
identical, as a car with occupants returning from the park also missed the same
stop sign. In each of the accidents a victim was pinned for over an hour,
as multiple sets of hydraulic tools were used to free the victims.
The Geauga County Engineer's
Office has reviewed the intersection before, after both accidents, and did
install a larger stop sign. However, residents on the scene of this recent
accident were very angry at this third incident, vowing to provoke action by
local government officials. Chardon Fire Chief Larry Gaspar was in phone
contact with local officials after the accident, attempting to prevent another
catastrophe.
Kudos to the Middlefield & Burton Fire Departments, Rural
Metro Ambulance, Ohio Highway Patrol, Geauga County Sheriff's Office, and Metro
Life Flight for another job well done.
Pictures taken from Chardon Engine 3322's 8mm Camcorder
For More Information Contact:
Chardon Fire Department
110 S. Hambden St. Chardon, OH 44024
Tel: 440-285-4665
FAX: 440-285-8320
Internet: Capt. John Blauch, Webmaster
