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'This area is supposed to be safe'

Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, October 21, 2009

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A Frame Lake South area resident is upset after an unidentified driver jumped the curb and ploughed a truck though his backyard fence.

NNSL photo/graphic

Romeo Juntilla shows where an unidentified driver in a pick-up truck knocked over a fire hydrant on Finlayson Drive before smashing into his backyard fence early Saturday. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

Romeo Juntilla, who lives in a corner lot house with his family at 56 Calder Crescent, said he imagines the culprit who took out a five-meter section of his fence plus a nearby city fire hydrant must've been speeding and drunk when the accident occurred early Saturday morning.

He and his family slept through the accident but a neighbour told him she awoke and saw a pick-up truck speeding away at exactly 3:48 a.m. after a disastrous U-turn attempt on Finlayson Drive, which goes past his property. Juntilla said he didn't know the colour of the truck or its licence plate number but figures the front end would have been seriously damaged after striking the hydrant and his fence.

"This area is supposed to be safe, it's a school zone," said Juntilla, who moved into the house just last January.

Juntilla shares the house with his wife, two sons, two sisters-in-law, his mother-in-law, and his father-in-law.

When Yellowknifer visited Monday, there was a hole in the ground where the hydrant used to be surrounded by pylons. Juntilla has covered the hole in his fence with a big piece of tarp. It was fortunate that the errant driver didn't smash into his propane tank, said Juntilla.

RCMP Cont. Kathy Law said police are investigating but so far don't have any leads or suspects.

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