To the editor:

Charlene Pohl, the latest fatality at the Baldwin Junction, was my mother. It is easy to stereotype when one reads that an 84-year-old woman was fatally injured in an automobile accident.

Contrary to what was published in the Journal-World, the Highway Patrol and witnesses report that Charlene Pohl DID stop at the stop sign. Charlene did not have an accident in 60 years, took defensive driving courses for people over 55, used her seatbelt for decades, did not exceed the speed limit nor did she poke along on highways and did not use her cell phone or eat in the car.

While my brother and I never expected our mother to be fatally injured at the Baldwin Junction, we came to expect accidents at the junction. Years ago, the 45 mph reduction in speed on U.S. 59 was eliminated and the speed at this busy junction became the same as a simple country intersection. Many people have warned KDOT officials that this intersection is dangerous and more accidents will happen. My mother is the latest tragedy, but today could bring another.

Yes, intersections do not kill people but they CAN be dangerous as this one has proven to be. I cannot bring my mother back. I would like to thank the individuals who assisted my mother, and my heart goes out to the truck driver. My primary concern is with the safety of the intersection and preventing a similar tragedy from occurring again.

Renita Ubel,

Ottawa