Sarnia tragedy sparks calls for guardrails

Source: London Free Press

ONTARIO - The deaths of two children in a car driven by their grandmother that plunged into the St. Clair River have thrust a dangerous stretch of roadway back under the spotlight.

The 48-year-old grandmother and her daughter, 12, also in the car, escaped the watery crash and made it safely ashore.

But rescuers who found 10-year-old Tyler Talbot and six-year-old Taiya Talbot in the submerged car were unable to revive them.

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The tragedy sent shock waves through Wallaceburg, where the family lives, and in the Sarnia area.

"They were both outdoors kids," said great aunt Cathy Vickerd, of Courtright.

"Tyler liked fishing with his grandpa and he loved to go camping. Taiya was very outgoing. She was a real sweetie."

A neighbour whose kids were classmates of the two children at St. Elizabeth elementary school said they were friendly youngsters.

"Taiya had a smile that would just melt your heart. I guess she was God's little angel sent to bring some life and love there," said a neighbour, whose children were classmates of Tyler and Taiya.

The car veered off the parkway about 7 p.m. Thursday on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, south of the curve by the Suncor plant.

The tragedy left Aamjiwnaang Chief Chris Plain calling for safety improvements along the parkway. He said a car goes into the water at the deadly location about once every two or three years. While most occupants are able to escape, there have been several fatalities in the past, including the deaths of Cheryl Maracle a decade ago and Shirley Christie, 66, who died in 2007.

"There are no guardrails along the portion of roadway that's adjacent to the First Nation," Plain said.

Tyler was in Grade 5 and his sister in Grade 1. They were the only children of Stefanie Bernard and Greg Talbot of Wallaceburg.

Vickerd said the four in the car were headed to Sarnia to shop.

At the children's Wallaceburg school, pupils and and staff were "walking around like zombies" yesterday, one parent said.

The St. Clair Catholic District school board sent a pastoral care team and a chaplaincy leader to the school.

Teachers described Tyler and Taiya as "vibrant and very joyful kids," said school superintendent Deb Crawford. "They were known for their smiles and their enthusiasm, a very positive approach to everything."

Grief counsellors with the board's compassionate care team will be available as long as needed, Crawford said.

The crash scene swarmed with emergency personnel Thursday night. The parkway, also known as River Road, was closed from Churchill Rd. to Marlborough Ave. and didn't reopen to traffic until yesterday afternoon.

The deaths have taken an emotional toll, Sarnia police Const. Bill Baines said. "It's difficult dealing with tragedies like this that involve children. Many of the people . . . likely have families at home with young kids, so it does really hit home."

Yesterday, two Sarnia police officers scoured the ground for tire tracks. River Road at that point has a wide shoulder but drops off steeply to the water.

"I don't want to pre-judge the findings of the investigation," Baines said. "Guard rails under certain conditions, of course, could be of benefit. Would they be beneficial along here? Off the top of my head, I would say they likely would."

Plain said he wants to meet with Mayor Mike Bradley and Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey as soon as possible to encourage the installation of guardrails "before something else happens."

"I hate to be reactive, not proactive . . . This is a tragic, tragic situation. I feel just terrible for the people involved."

Plain said he warns friends and family about driving near the river, especially in the winter.

"I've told them that in the unlikely event they are driving along and are about to go into the river, they should try to think to roll down their windows," the chief said.

Sarnia police have not released any details about how the crash happened, and Plain stressed it's not known if a guardrail would have made a difference.

"But they put them on overpasses for a reason. I think it might be worth consideration."

Bradley said he is open to discussions with Plain about the possibility of a guardrail. "But it's hard to say . . . if a guardrail is a good idea. That's a significant length of roadway."

Despite the history of crashes there, the guardrail issue has never arisen at city council, Bradley said.

"As far as this crash goes, we need to understand fully the circumstances and see what should be done."

To the south, St. Clair Parkway follows the river through St. Clair Township for 32 kilometres.

St. Clair Mayor Steve Arnold said his municipality has railings in place wherever there's public access. A cable-and-post guardrail was erected years ago by the provincial government when the parkway was their responsibility, he said.

"It's very adequate," Arnold said. "Really, a guardrail can only slow traffic down, but we believe we've done what we can in St. Clair."