"I cannot tolerate it any longer" - Pensioner left fearing for her life following crashes outside home

A County Derry pensioner has been left fearing for her life after two vehicles crashed into her home in separate crashes over the weekend.

Kathleen McCabe has been left extremely frightened following the collisions which happened at her Mayogall Road home, between Clady and Gulladuff, on Friday night (March 8) and in the early hours of Monday (March 11).

One of the vehicles collided with the front of Mrs McCabe's house while the second car got lodged in the grass verge, just yards from her front door.

The weekend collisions are among a series of crashes which have happened outside Mrs McCabe's home over the years.

Speaking yesterday, Mrs McCabe said: "As someone who has been living in my home for many years I am sorry to say that it has come to the stage where I am extremely fearful of what is occurring with regular frequency outside my bedroom windows.

“There are accidents occurring outside my property all the time with the front of my house continually damaged. As someone in their elderly years I am not sleeping at night and I am a nervous wreck at what is continually happening to my property.

“There have been dozens of accidents outside and into my house through the years but it has recently got worse to such an extent that I simply cannot tolerate it any longer."

The recent crashes have prompted Sinn Féin Councillor Seán McPeake to renew calls for road safety improvement measures in the area, known locally as Newtown Corner.

Councillor McPeake has visited Mrs McCabe and has voiced his concerns at what is happening at this location.

"I have raised the issue of the dangers associated with this corner with the Department for Infrastructure on a number of occasions. The signage and chevrons that were installed by DfI are simply not good enough to prevent these accidents,” he said.

"What is happening at Newtown Corner with regular frequency cannot continue. I have today again contacted DfI Roads Service seeking the immediate installation of a crash barrier to protect Mrs McCabe's property. In the more longer term I believe DfI should investigate the removal and straightening of Newtown Corner in its entirety, but in the shorter term a crash barrier needs installed to protect the McCabe property."

A PSNI spokesperson confirmed they had received a report of a single vehicle road traffic collision in the Mayogall Road area of Clady shortly after 12.10am on Monday morning, March 11.
Inspector Lucas said: “Damage was caused to a hedge in the area and thankfully, no injuries were reported.
“We continue to engage with local representatives and partner agencies to discuss road safety issues concerning this area.
“Enforcing speeding regulations is just one part of making our roads safer and we would remind road users to pay more attention to their surroundings and reduce their speed.”

A spokesperson for DfI said: “Road safety is one of the Department’s priorities and we are committed to reducing and removing, where possible, those risks which fall within the remit of the Department through appropriate engineering measures. The Department is aware of the concerns regarding road safety at the location on the Mayogall Road, Portglenone, and a site meeting will be planned to ascertain if any further engineering measures are required to increase road safety in the area, in light of the recent collisions. Previously, additional highly visible chevron signs and bend ahead signage were added at the location.

 “While there is a is a legal responsibility on all drivers to drive with due consideration of the road layout or condition, the Department will also review the collision investigation reports from the PSNI which will inform any possible engineering work. Concerns regarding speeding should be reported to the PSNI using their non-emergency 101 number.”