On November 6th of this year, RCMP received a report of a single vehicle roll over on Highway 37 South near Hansen Road.
One witness reported seeing the vehicle hydroplane and go off the road before landing upside down submerged in water.
The two occupants of the vehicle did not survive the collision.
Two young people died - identified online by their families as Cassidy Melo and Jaden Gray.
There was heavy rain that day.
On Friday, March 11th, 2022, a different spot on that same highway claimed the lives of two young Terrace students, Ashton in grade 4 and Kylie in grade 6, as well as their mother, Elizabeth.
In their case, RCMP say the northbound car crossed the centerline and collided with a southbound commercial vehicle. Weather conditions were poor.
In 2016, a 4-car collision at the Williams Creek Bridge claimed the life of a local teacher, David O'Brien, and injured three others. Water pooling was cited as the issue.
In 2018 and 2024, resurfacing and paving work was done along the highway.
In ICBC's reported crashes on Tableau Public, it's reported there have been 95 crashes along Highway 37A since 2019.
Now, family of Cassidy Melo have created a petition in her honour.
Cited in the petition's description, which is directed at the Transport Minister. Stephanie Fox, Cassidy's aunt, writes:
"In response to frequent tragedies, we seek the installation of adequate barriers, guardrails, and additional preventative measures along the highway. "
She goes on to write that they believe that substantial safety enhancements could eventually deter accidents and save lives.
The petition can be accessed via Change.org, and is linked here: Petition · Improve Safety for Commuters on Hwy 37 between Kitimat/Terrace in Honor of Cassidy Melo - Kitimat, Canada · Change.org
