An Innisfail man is looking for answers after the second hit-and-run incident on his property in less than a year.
Colin Loughlin, who lives on the south side of the Cottonwood Road and Willow Ridge Road intersection, said his wife discovered a 250-pound section of the family’s front gate laying 250 feet down their driveway when she went for her morning run on June 2. The gate had been damaged in a previous hit-and-run on Aug. 10, 2010. Loughlin said a vehicle travelling southbound on Willow Ridge Road appears to have run a stop sign at the intersection at a high rate of speed before smashing into the gate sometime between 10 p.m. on June 1 and 5 a.m. on June 2.
“It hit with enough force it sheared the (one-inch) pins right off the gate,” he said Friday. The gate, made of 2 ” schedule 40 pipe, was also significantly bent by the force of the collision. “As a landowner I’m pretty mad.”
Debris left at the scene following the collision indicates a 2011 Ford Super Duty truck was responsible for the damage. Loughlin said the vehicle’s front license plate holder appears to indicate it was purchased in Carstairs. By the amount of debris left behind, Loughlin said the truck would have suffered “substantial” damage to its front grille and light assembly. Skid marks left on the driveway indicate the driver did not brake until the truck was approximately 70 feet down the laneway.
Loughlin said the four-way intersection only features three stop signs and is a disaster waiting to happen. Currently eastbound Cottonwood Road traffic has the right-of-way. He said Town of Innisfail officials have said they will look into the signage.
“The cost is one thing,” Loughlin estimated the damage to be around $3,000, saying the truck could have easily hit another vehicle. “It bothers me more that guys are running that stop sign. If that had been a minivan filled with kids it would have been a different story.”
Innisfail RCMP Cpl. Rochelle Becker said the RCMP is investigating the case but currently have no suspects.
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