I rise in this Honourable House to announce the
Williams Government�s latest effort to ensure safety remains the number
one priority of the Department of Transportation and Works.
I�m sure many of you are familiar with the tragic
story that brought the issue of truck side guards or under guards to the
attention of the general public but it bears repeating.
On December 19, 2005, 21-year-old Jessica Holman-Price
of St. John�s lost her life while preventing her 10-year-old brother
from being crushed by the wheels of a snow-removal truck in Montreal.
The two were standing on a snowbank at a busy intersection, waiting to
cross the street. When the light turned green, the truck came around the
corner and caught the edge of the mound, causing the boy to slide under
the vehicle. Jessica reached for him but she too lost her footing and
slid under the wheels of the truck. In a split second, she managed to
push her brother out of harm�s way before the massive truck fatally
injured her.
Jessica�s mother Jeannette, who lives in Portugal
Cove-St. Phillip�s, has been lobbying to require all heavy trucks be
equipped with side guards to prevent such fatalities. You can find out
more about her crusade on
thejessicacampaign.com
website. I first met with Ms. Holman-Price in late January and her
story touched me as I�m sure it touches all those who have heard it. Her
determination and on-going effort to ensure some good comes from this
tragedy is to be commended.
Our government is entering the fourth year of a
five-year, $50 million plan to replace old snowplows. When our next
order is placed, it will be stipulated that the 30 plows be equipped
with side guards to prevent pedestrians from rolling under our trucks.
We anticipate receipt of these new trucks next spring. The Provincial
Government will invest approximately $80,000 for this life-saving
equipment. All future plow truck orders will also include the side guard
stipulation. The side guards have been widely utilized in Europe for
years and I encourage all governments in Canada and the private sector
to adopt this policy as well for all types of delivery trucks. This
simple, relatively inexpensive piece of equipment is also easy to
assemble and disassemble. The bottom line is that it saves lives � it
just makes sense.
2009 03 31 2:35 p.m.
