The City of Quinte West will be looking into improvements of 2nd Dug Hill Road.
At its council meeting on Wednesday, Quinte West City Council voted to have the city’s Director of Public Works and Environmental Services, Chris Angelo, begin looking into that road, following a plea from Diane Lyndon who once again called for action to be taken addressing the safety of 2nd Dug Hill Road.
On November 17, Lyndon’s granddaughter, 12-year-old Sierra Maltby, was with 14-year-old Seryn Lazzaro when Lazzaro was struck by a vehicle while the two were heading to WalMart.
Lazzaro was taken to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto where she later passed away from her injuries.
Fifty-one-year-old Dean Potter of Quinte West was charged with failure to stop at an accident resulting in bodily harm in the investigation surrounding the hit and run.
Diane Lyndon asking city council for action on improvements to 2nd Dug Hill Road. December 13, 2023. (Photo: Zach McGibbon/Quinte News)
Speaking during public input, Lyndon said a funeral for Lazzaro was held over the weekend where “it was a sea of people dressed in pink weeping in unison.”
She said Sierra and her twin sister Savannah received certificates of appreciation for heroic acts from the City of Belleville but remain heartbroken with grief.
Lyndon also thanked Quinte West Fire Chief John Whelan for being first on site at the time of the incident.
“I’ll never forget your kindness, sir. You saw her portrait. You acknowledged her as a real person, not a statistic,” Lyndon said to Whelan.
Lyndon said a petition to address the concerns surrounding 2nd Dug Hill Road had reached 2334 signatures at the time of her presentation with paper petitions in circulation as well.
She reiterated her plea calling on the city to implement a temporary sidewalk.
“Will you agree that a sidewalk, temporary or not, is the solution to provide the safe walkway to prevent this from ever happening again? Will you honour Seryn’s sacrifice and make this her legacy in preventing future deaths? It’s up to you. I came to you with a problem then a solution,” said Lyndon.
“You are unanimous in your votes to keep a roof on the Y, a facility that keeps people healthy. How about a sidewalk and lighting to keep them alive? It’s up to you. Show the world that there is no price on human life and that the City of Quinte West cares about its citizens.”
Following her speech, Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison asked for a motion calling for Director of Public Works and Environmental Services, Chris Angelo, to look into improvements on the road.
The motion was carried.
Later in the council meeting, Councillor Dave O’Neill thanked Mayor Harrison for the motion. He said this will help address the issue surrounding 2nd Dug Hill Road and get something done on the road as soon as possible.
A GoFundMe for the family has raised a total of over $27,000 as of December 13.
