'They might as well make it an official graveyard': Grieving mother calls for changes to roadway that claimed son

Norwich Township council heard pleas for changes to a section of roadway where two teens died just over a month ago.

Representatives of families impacted by the tragedy and homeowners that live near the crash site took their concerns to council Tuesday morning.

No sooner had Shannon McMannis started her presentation to council than she was overcome with emotions, having to pause to gather herself.

McMannis was appearing on behalf of the families impacted by the single-vehicle crash that happened just after midnight on August 4, near the intersection of Cornell and Furnace Roads.

There were seven young people in the vehicle at the time and the collision, which claimed the lives of 16-year-old Lucas Crump and 18-year-old Avery Warwick.

McMannis told the council, "We come before you today to ask for a traffic engineering report that can tell us all of the proper things to do with this intersection."

She and others are advocating for safety reforms along a stretch of Cornell Road heading eastbound toward Furnace Road. They say there's a lot to process in a relatively short distance for drivers travelling that section.

Shannon McMannis addressed Norwich council on Sept. 12, 2023, representing the friends and families impacted by a single vehicle crash on Cornell Road in August that claimed the lives of two teens. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

It starts with a reduction in speed of from 80 km/h to 50 km/h.

Then, just a short distance after the 50 km/h sign, there's a warning to reduce the vehicle speed further to 40 km/h in advance of a steep decline and a sweeping bend at the bottom of the hill.

That's where Cornell Road crosses a bridge and intersects with Furnace Road.

Robert and Elizabeth Conti also appeared before council on Tuesday.

They have lived just east of Furnace Road since 2015 and brought a box of vehicle debris from other collisions that ended up on, or near, their property since that time.

"It's either our side of the road that this occurs or it happens on the south side of the road, which is our neighbour’s property,” said Robert Conti outside the council chambers. “But always these same locations, always just east of Furnace Road."

Karen Crump (second row, near centre aisle) lost her son Lucas who died in a collision in Norwich Township in August 2023. She joined others a Norwich Township council meeting on Sept. 12, 2023, to call for safety improvements to the section of Cornell Road where the crash occurred. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

The council accepted both deputations but there was no debate.

CAO Lee Robinson says that doesn't mean the concerns aren't being considered, "When we have a horrific incident like this, it's referred to our insurance company who has all the appropriate professionals to review that. So our insurance company will get back to us with the appropriate responses and the actions they intend to take as a result of this."

One of those in attendance was Karen Crump, Lucas' mom. She stressed that the need for changes to the roadway is urgent, “If the council doesn't do anything and make proper changes, they might as well buy the Conti property and make it an official graveyard."

The Oxford OPP investigation into the collision is ongoing.