EXCLUSIVE

The mother of a French tourist who was seriously injured in a car accident in July has appealed to government authorities to fix the Captain Cook Highway and Port Douglas Road intersection.

Twenty-year-old Charlotte Christian was airlifted to Cairns Base Hospital on July 19 with a fractured pelvis and femur, and later was in a coma, after the van she was driving was involved in an accident at the intersection.

Her 21-year-old boyfriend passenger, Adrien, was transported to Mossman Hospital with a fractured hand.

In response to The Newsport article 'Road Rage' (Tuesday, 27 September 2011), Charlotte’s mother, Montagne, contacted us this week, pleading for a solution to improving safety at the notorious site.

“Less than three month ago…my daughter Charlotte…and his (sic) boyfriend Adrien…on holidays from France, had a terrible accident here,” she wrote from France.

“They failed to die, fortunately, but their injuries are very bad.

“How many others terrible accident and victims did need the government to do something real (sic)? Please, do something for others.”

She stated that police had acknowledged that Charlotte and Adrien were the innocent victims of the accident in which a 33-year-old Port Douglas man’s car hit their southbound van while he was attempting to turn from Captain Cook Highway into Port Douglas Road.

A surge of public, local government and police support to reduce the hazardous nature of the intersection followed, along with a Main Roads Department investigation into safety of the intersection.

Likely options were the installation of a roundabout, traffic lights or improved signage.

Member for Cook, Jason O’Brien, said the results of the Main Roads Department investigation, which were due last week, had still not been released.

Mrs Christian also thanked locals for assisting Charlotte and Adrien at the scene of the July 19 accident.

“Thank you for the witness, the emergency (services) and the police and their help for my children…they saved their life (sic).”

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