Residents in Windsor’s east end are concerned after a case of dangerous driving was caught on camera.
“Oh, I was in shock. I couldn’t believe what I just seen,” said Patricia Ducharme, who lives in the 200 block of Bellview Avenue, a one-way street. “They decided they were going to jump the curb right over the front of my lawn, then off the driveway, just to get wherever they were going.”
On April 17, home surveillance video showed a garbage truck at 7:15 a.m. collecting trash. The vehicle behind drove to the left of the truck, up a driveway, onto a lawn and around a tree before it returned to the road in front of the garbage truck.
“There was no reason for him to do what he did. He could have waited two minutes,” said Ducharme. “I would have, rather than go the wrong way on the street to leave it more safely than to go right over a curb, on a sidewalk.
“That’s just crazy,” said another neighbour. “There’s a lot of kids in this area. Our grandkids come here too.”
Ducharme says he put children, seniors and the garbage employee at risk, including potential property damage.
“He could have swerved and hit my house if he accidentally didn’t do the right turn. It’s just dangerous all the way around.”
Windsor police Const. Bianca Jackson said the driver of the vehicle could face charges of careless driving, a penalty under the Highway Traffic Act of Ontario, or dangerous driving, a charge under the Criminal Code of Canada.
It is unknown who the driver was in this case, but Ducharme has a message for all drivers.
“Take your time. Slow down. Leave a little earlier.”
