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Woman seriously hurt in Darien accident

By Howard B. Owens

A woman from Depew was transported by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center with internal injuries following a traffic accident in Darien yesterday at 6:14 p.m.

Jacqueline S. Carmina, 18, of 129 South Transithill, Depew, was driving west on Sumner Road when she reportedly failed to yield for a stop sign. Her 2002 Saturn sedan was broadsided by a 2006 Buick driven by Robert E. Davis, Jr., 54, of 1384 Glen Avon Road, Grand Island.

Davis was not injured in the accident.

Deputy Patrick J. Reeves is investigating the accident and states charges are pending.

Mardell Lamb

Isn't that the same intersection that the two teen sisters from Pavilion were killed? (Earlier this summer.)

Aug 5, 2009, 11:20am Permalink
Amy Stein

I live just around the corner from there and I have traveled through that intersection often. I don't understand how you can miss the stop sign. With the traffic on route 77 being so constant maybe more warnings to drivers on Sumner or, I hate to say it, a light?

Aug 5, 2009, 12:19pm Permalink
Mardell Lamb

Thanks, Howard. I thought that rang a bell. I'm not familar w/that particular intersection, but it doesn't seem to have a good reputation. I hope the young lady has a speedy recovery.

Aug 5, 2009, 12:20pm Permalink
Gabor Deutsch

I am familiar with many of those back roads, and this intersection. I always thought that it would be safer to make the stop signs double sided and even put stop signs on each side of the road. (Not a 4 way stop) or signal light to impede traffic on main routes.

Aug 5, 2009, 12:37pm Permalink
Lucille Van Son

A stoplight may not be bad if it was just flashing red on Sumner and yellow on 77 this way people on 77 are aware there is traffic coming out of there but don't have to stop. And the flashing red may catch someones attention quicker than a sign.

Aug 5, 2009, 1:11pm Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Rumble strips, rumble strips, rumble strips. They're the easiest way to help solve problem intersections. I live near suicide corners and the exact same situation exists there. The intersection has had numerous fatalities and even more accidents. The house on the SE corner had a southbound car land in its living room when the driver ran the flashing red lights and went airborne into their house.

Drivers become "road hypnotized" and lose track of lights and signs. It's a known phenomenon and truckers will testify to it. Human attention spans are short for a reason. It's a vestigial survival mechanism. "Focus on anything too long and you might get eaten by a predator because you weren't looking for it". People have to train to focus for extended periods of time. It's not a natural thing to do.

Placing rumble strips in the lanes where traffic has to stop at those intersections would force people to bring their attention back to the stop sign.

Aug 6, 2009, 1:21pm Permalink

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