After having to throw her 8 year old daughter Bailey into the front yard at the school bus stop last Monday morning, Tiffany Rada says she will collect signatures from every aunt, uncle, parent and grandparent on Clipnock road in Stafford to request a speed limit change and more bus stop signs.
Rada says her daughter’s school bus had it’s caution lights on at the end of their driveway when they heard a dump truck approaching and accelerating really hard as it approached the school bus.
“Get out of the way, get out of the way,” Rada yelled.
“Next thing you know I am like Hercules and I tossed my daughter in the front yard,” says Rada.
“He was literally going to take us out because he didn’t want to stop for the school bus and he did not even stop to see if we were okay.”
Rada says she hugged her daughter and then sent her to school and told her she was going to be okay.
“She didn’t know what hit her, she didn’t know what to think. I just didn’t want her to see her mom completely destroyed by this and so angry at the same time.”
Rada says that Clipnock road is a hot route for dump trucks going to and from the quarry in Stafford on Main road. She says its not safe on either side of the street. Dump trucks going well over the speed of 55 mph are going down the road from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m. almost every day.
The are no posted speed limit signs and the only school bus sign is located up the road in Bethany.
“They know there are no cops on Clipnock, they know its not monitored.”
So 12 hours after the near miss with the dump truck, Rada and several other residents showed up at the Stafford Town Board meeting to request that something be done before someone loses their life in an accident involving a dump truck along Clipnock road.
Councilman Bob Mattice, who lives on Clipnock road, requested the Sheriff’s Department speed trailer to the area. Rada says it was placed between Torrey road and Sweetland road for one day last week. It did slow down a few trucks.
A day after the speed trailer was removed, loose gravel signs were put up, declaring the speed limit in the area to be 35mph. In the five minutes the camera was rolling that day, Video News Service recorded 5 dump trucks pass through the area going well over the speed of 35mph.
Signatures were also collected at the meeting and are going to be submitted to the state to request they lower the speed limit from 55 mph to 45mph.
Rada, who has lived on the road for about 7 years, says she made a similar request with the County a few years ago, but she says she was lead to dead ends and given the run around and phone calls were not returned.
Rada says she will not give up if the request is denied.
“I’ll travel to Albany, I will take it to Congress members, I will take it as far as it goes. If it saves one child’s life that’s all that matters, something has to happen, children are our future and enough is enough.”
State Police were called to the incident and are investigating.