Curra father campaigns for change after daughter involved in serious car accident

A Curra father has taken his campaign for change at a Curra intersection to Main Roads, after his daughter was lucky to escape with her life in a serious car crash there.

A Curra father is campaigning for something to be done about a dangerous intersection off the Bruce Highway north of Gympie, after his daughter was hurt in a serious crash there six weeks ago.

Carl Stevens said on Tuesday he would not rest until the Puma service station intersection between David Drive and the Bruce Highway at Curra was made safer.

The intersection had been the site of numerous near-accidents due to the high speed limit and drivers ignoring road signs, Mr Stevens said.

“There’s two stop signs there and very few people actually stop at the stop signs,” he said.

“They’re all trying to get out and merge on to the Bruce Highway.

“As you’re heading north...there’s a blind spot as you pull out and people don’t see each other, and the speed limit is 100km/h.”

Mr Stevens said his own daughter, 38-year-old Louise Stevens, was involved in a serious crash at the intersection six weeks ago, which left another driver in hospital and his daughter mentally scarred.

“She was heading home from work when she was at that intersection,” he said.

“She was heading north and a car was heading south and turning right into the Curra service station, which cut right across in front of my daughter.

The result was Ms Stevens “t-boning” the car crossing her path at 60km/h, with a third car tailgating her colliding with her car and spinning her across the road.

Mr Stevens said he believes the airbags saved his daughter’s life, but it would not be the last accident to happen at the intersection.

He said he has reached out to Gympie state MP Tony Perrett and Wide Bay federal MP Llew O’Brien, but both said the issue was out of their hands and referred him to the Main Roads Department.

“They all agree, including police, that it probably should be changed, but they have no power to do so, and Main Roads says there isn’t a problem,” he said.

In the meantime, Mr Stevens said he had toyed with the idea of starting a petition to promote change, but hoped for a quicker solution such as police monitoring the intersection.

The Gympie Times has reached out to the Main Roads Department for response.