Gawler fatality between truck, pedestrian leads to safety calls

The blind corner where a Gawler East grandmother was hit and killed has been a problem for years, the mayor says, as calls for intervention arise.

The death of 73-year-old Gawler East woman Christine Read will see the government undertake a review of the intersection’s safety as locals call for more to be done to save further lives.

Gawler Council Mayor Karen Redman has called for immediate intervention while Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis has already reached out to the department for a solution.

Mrs Read was run over by a truck at the corner of Lyndoch Road and Murray Street on Thursday and died a short time later as a result of her injuries.

Ms Redman said the corner was “really tight and very old”, much like many streets in Gawler, particularly those leading to Murray Street.

Ms Redman said the state government needed to immediately look at how the incident happened and commit to stopping it from happening again.

The blind corner where Christine Read was hit by a truck on Thursday. Picture: Brinley Duggan

The truck was travelling through Gawler on the way back to Murray Bridge. Picture: Brinley Duggan

“There is a solution but it requires the state government to get on board,” she said.

“The department needs to put their thinking caps on and find the best way forward.

“They need to think of things to improve pedestrian safety and line of sight.

“It’s a real shame we’ve had a death and a family is grieving for there to be a focus here.”

Mr Koutsantonis told ABC Radio Labor Light MP Tony Piccolo had raised issues about the intersection with him.

“I am asking the department to do a review to look at it and give me a report about what it is we can do, what went wrong and how we can fix it,” he said.

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

Ms Redman suggested the “long-term” solution was a much-discussed Eastern Bypass, but said improvement needed to happen in the interim.

Her comments were echoed by Mr Piccolo, who rendered assistance at the scene of the devastation.

Mr Piccolo told The Messenger planning on a North-East link allowing trucks to bypass Gawler needed to commence and that it was something he would discuss with the government.

Ms Redman was adamant trucks needed to continue to service Gawler as a “major commercial precinct”

Nearby shop owners described to The Messenger the intersection of Lyndoch Road and Murray Street as “dangerous” and recounted several crashes and near misses.

An 83-year-old woman in 2017 died after being hit by a truck just 700 metres south of Thursday’s incident in tragically similar circumstances.

That intersection was also described as dangerous by nearby residents who had witnessed several near misses at the corner.

Shortly after, the narrow corner, at the junction of Julian Terrace and Bridge Street South, was upgraded with a focus on pedestrian safety.

The Transport Department was contacted for comment.