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Niagara Falls
Monday, February 10, 2025
Letter: The tree is not to blame for road fatality
Letter to the editor. FILE

Dear editor:

Further to your June 6 editorial, “No more fatalities — cut down the tree,” clearly, much more analysis and cogent thought must be engaged before rushing to your premature conclusion.

Fatal accidents generally occur for one three reasons: distracted driving, substance abuse or medical emergency.

Every day, or week in Ontario, people die on our roads for one of these reasons — in head-on collisions, crashing into guardrails, bus shelters, telephone poles and even trees.

In each of these past instances, do each of the municipalities then relocate guardrails, bus shelters, telephone poles and cut trees down?

I think not.

Along the roads of Niagara-on-the-Lake one can see numerous small floral memorials that have been placed where a loved one lost their life on the road.

We have all seen and been touched by these roadside reminders. To the best of my knowledge, no tree was involved in these sad cases. No, the accidents were likely attributable to one of the three reasons cited above.

I agree with nearby resident Shirley Madsen: the tree was not at fault.

Here’s another way of looking at it: what if, instead of a tree at that spot along Lakeshore Road, there was a sidewalk running the along the roadside and pedestrians happened to be on that sidewalk at the moment the driver mounted the curb, would you blame the pedestrians for the deaths?

No, dear editor, the tree was not at fault.

Failing medical emergencies, drivers must assume responsibility for their actions.

I would suggest that virtually 100 per cent of your readers would wish this to occur.

John Buchanan
NOTL

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