Driver barely avoids collision, wrecks truck in new St. John's roundabout

When Frank Swantee entered the new roundabout in front of Paul Reynolds Community Centre in Wedgewood Park in St. John's recently, he wasn't prepared for what happened.

• Roundabout entrance coming to new Paul Reynolds Centre

"I entered the roundabout, and what did I see but somebody backing up towards me in the roundabout," he said. "Somebody was totally confused and decided that was the best option."

Swantee braked quickly, but there was another problem.

"I had just come from Concrete Products," the landscaper told CBC's On the Go."I had a ton of retaining wall blocks in the back of my truck, and the sudden stop of the truck was fine, but the blocks didn't stop, and they continued through the back [windshield]of my truck into the back of my truck."

'Strewn metal everywhere'

Thanks to Swantee'sdouble-cab truck, heescaped without injury. The truck was not so lucky.

"The truck looks like it was tore apart like you could tear apart a Cornflakes box; there was just strewn metal everywhere," he said. Swantee was fortunate he'd dealt with a conscientious employee earlier that day.

"The last thing that the young guy at the yard did, at Concrete Products, he wrapped the blocks in a solid mass because they were above the gunnels of the truck," said Swantee.

"So that's pretty well the only thing that saved me, or else I would have had a 50-pound block of concrete, at 50 kilometres an hour, coming directly at the back of my head."

The blocks still pushed into the cab of the truck, which Swantee figures is a writeoff (he was insured). But he didn't get a chance to talk to the reversing driver.

"They backed up, stopped, and took off again," he said.

More education needed

Swantee said the city needs to do a better job of educating people on how to use the roundabouts.

"It's a new thing in St. John's, these roundabouts, and somebody's got toeducate these people on how to drive. You don't drive backwards around a roundabout. They're meant to go one direction," he said.

It's a new thing in St. John's, these roundabouts, and somebody's got to educate these people on how to driver.- Frank Swantee

The city has information on its website, and has said there will be information workshops this month, but Swantee says they're not doing enough.

"I've never been on their website or heard that they've also tweeted it out to people who are also in contact with that, but there's not going to be a whole lot of people that's going to reach," he said.

Swantee did, however, thank the employee who wrapped up his concrete blocks, though.

"I said, 'Johnny, you just saved my life,'" he said.