Radnor Township Debates Traffic Safety In The Wake Of Violent Collision, Teen Remains Hospitalized
RADNOR Twp., Pa. (CBS) -- Changes could be on the way for a stretch of road in Delaware County.
Radnor Township officials said in a statement, "There was an unfortunate incident where two of our high school children were struck and seriously injured on the 600 block of Conestoga Road."
It happened Halloween morning and because it is a state road, together with PennDot and school district officials, Radnor Township leaders hosted a special traffic safety meeting Thursday evening.
The statement went onto explain, "The purpose of this meeting is to provide the community with information specifically about this stretch of road and to allow all residents to voice their concerns and any ideas they may have that will improve safety."
Dozens of residents attended the meeting, including the families of the two injured teenagers.
"Mary Elizabeth is doing well and today was her first full day back to school. Thank you to everyone that has reached out to our family and we ask you to keep Kelson in your thoughts and prayers," Mary Catherine O'Reilly-Gindhart said.
Mary Catherine's sister, Mary Elizabeth and Kelson D'Ambra were waiting for their bus when they were hit by an out of control car. Mary Elizabeth has since been treated and released. Kelson remains in the hospital.
"We're still cautiously optimistic. He's making small progress and small strides everyday. Some days are better than others. We just keep hoping for the best," Kelson's father, Mark, said.
"From my thirty plus years in law enforcement, I have concerns about the condition of the vehicle that was being driven. I don't necessarily know if the road was a contributor to the accident or human error or carelessness at this point. But I do have concerns with the condition of that vehicle," Radnor Police Superintendent Bill Colarulo explained.
Police said because their investigation is ongoing, they could not comment further or release any more details.
They did, however, come prepared with a power point presentation to let residents know there were 22 crashes on the curvy stretch of road in the last six years.
Equally concerned, officials announced they are open to implementing design, speed and signage changes to make the road safer. They also took suggestions from the residents, including the D'Ambras and the O'Reilly-Gindharts, there to make sure changes are made not only for their sake but for the safety of all children in their neighborhood.
"I think a lot of people are worried about the speed here on Conestoga Road because there are children that catch the bus and there are people that maybe don't understand there are families on that road," Mary Catherine said.
Kelson's mother, Andrea, added, "I think it was a productive discussion and we're hopeful that something comes out of it at the other end."
Authorities said they will take all recommendations into consideration as they move forward. They vow they are committed to seeing that the appropriate changes are made. Police vow there will be increased police presence in the area to keep the speeders and the careless drivers under control.
Reported by Elizabeth Hur, CBS 3
