Wednesday, January 24, 2007
EDINBURG, Pa. — Shirley Phillips is making it her mission to ensure traffic signals are unobstructed.
Last week, she had confirmed that a stop sign obstructed by a detour sign was a contributing factor in the Oct. 8, 2006, car crash that killed her daughter and two others and seriously injured the passenger of another vehicle in Mahoning Township, Lawrence County.
Phillips’ daughter, 16-year-old Danielle Kennedy, died two days after the crash that also took the lives of Dennis Vestal, 19, of Hubbard and Jesse Hoover, 22, of Girard. The driver, Heather Vestal of Greenville, 19 at the time, suffered injuries but survived.
Heather Vestal, who was unfamiliar with the area, pulled from Sky Hill Road onto Pa. Route 551 into the path of another vehicle, according to police.
A police report released late last week confirmed that a bridge detour sign was obstructing the stop sign, said Phillips of State Street here.
Northwest Regional Police Chief Jim Morris said his department completed its report last week after receiving a copy of an accident reconstruction done by Pennsylvania State Police.
“I’m on a mission. I don’t want this to happen again,” Phillips said.
She hopes to make others aware of problems obstructing traffic signs.
In this case, detour signs were placed near the stop sign for the replacement of the Hilltown Bridge in Lawrence County.
Work had not started on the bridge, and there was some concern after the crash if the company that placed the sign on the road had been authorized to do the work.
“I’m totally angry. Someone was in a hurry to get a sign up and we lost three great kids,” Phillips said.
Phillips said she has retained an attorney, but would not comment on whether a lawsuit would be filed.