Pine Gully crash victim in passionate call for road upgrade in Wagga

It is the stretch of bitumen that changed Stephanie Smyth’s life forever.

Six years on from the night her car became wrapped around a gum tree, Ms Smyth, 27, is passionately calling on Wagga City Council to undertake urgent upgrades of Pine Gully Road.

Council is yet to publicly announce whether it plans to carry out upgrades.

“I’m only doing this in the hope it makes a difference,” Ms Smyth said.

“The accident that night changed my life forever - and I don’t want anyone to ever have to go through what I went through. It’s a dangerous road and it’s going to happen again if someone doesn’t do something.”

Ms Smyth, who was returning to her university accommodation, lost control of her car after she hit loose gravel. The impact of the crash broke both her arms and her legs and split open her head.

The Wagga woman was found by a campus security guard four hours later.

What would follow was 12 days in intensive care – 10 of which she was unconscious for – and multiple surgeries.

She now has life-long muscle weakness.

Her accident was not the first in 2009 – and it hasn’t been the last.

Two weeks ago 18-year-old Peter Murray was killed after the car he was travelling in struck a tree on the same stretch of road.

“The fact is inexperienced drivers regularly use the road,” Ms Smyth said.

“I can’t see why that is ever going to change. The road is too narrow and the speed limit is far too high for the conditions.”

Ms Smyth also said poor lighting, unsealed edges and a dogleg adds to the dangerous conditions.

Traffic movements are set to increase on Pine Gully Road in coming years as the Estella Rise housing estate advances.

One city councillor said up to 6000 new blocks – comparable to a town the size of Cootamundra – had been approved before any significant infrastructure upgrade.

It comes as a Wagga petition gathers more than 1000 signatures in support of an upgrade.