SHORELAND, Ohio — A busy road in Point Place is under scrutiny once again. A truck had to be pulled from the Ottawa River that runs parallel to Shoreland Avenue last Friday.
Nearby resident Bob Ulinski remembers the scene Friday night.
"We were just sitting in the house and we noticed a bunch of flashes," Ulinski said. "We really didn't hear any noise or anything, just the flashing ... and that was about it."
The truck driver swerved in an attempt to avoid a reckless driver and ended up in the river. The trucker driver was okay after being rescued.
Ulinski wonders why guardrails that used to stand between the road and the water were removed in 2006. The city of Toledo sent WTOL 11 a statement explaining why the rails were removed:
"The City of Toledo places guardrails based on recommendations from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Location and Design Manual. Some hazards that used to require guardrails along Shoreland Avenue were eliminated back in 2006 as part of a US Army Corps of Engineers Embankment Stabilization Project."
But 17 years and multiple crashes later, Ulinski wants to see the guardrails put back up.
"It's not that deep but who knows what could happen," Ulinski wondered. "Somebody could have children in the car, anything, and people panic. They just need to put them guardrails back up."
There have been at least three other cases in the last decade of drivers going off of Shoreland Avenue and into the river. Fortunately, none of those cases involved serious injuries, but Ulinsky worries it may not be the same next time.
He sees the reinstallation of guardrails as simple and very beneficial.
"I think if they wanted to, they could drive [guardrail posts] down far enough, it's solid," Ulinski said. "And it would shore up the bank too, I would think. It's better than people driving in there all time."
Drivers are encouraged to slow down on Shoreland Avenue and always be aware of what oncoming traffic is doing.