Letter from Nick and Jeniffer Raphaelson White

West Oneonta needs a guardrail

On Friday April 22, for the second time in two years, we had a car drive off State Route 23, crash through our fence, and land in the culvert on the corner of our property in the Hamlet of West Oneonta.

The first incident was due to distracted driving. The most recent incident was due to a medical issue. Our five-year-old and dog play every day in the yard where both of these accidents occurred.

We acknowledge that the medical issue that caused the most recent accident was nobody’s fault and commend our local emergency squad for their hard work. Extracting the car and driver from the culvert was not an easy task.

The top of the car needed to be cut off for the driver to be extracted.

These are not the only incidents to occur along this stretch. About three weeks ago we witnessed a propane truck get stuck at a 45-degree angle across Route 23 from our home.

There is a clear need for a guardrail along Route 23 in the Hamlet of West Oneonta. We have begun the process of requesting a guardrail with the State DOT and would like to invite others to do the same.

I ask the local community to consider two things:
1. Please pay attention to the 40-mph speed limit through the hamlet of West Oneonta. We are concerned for our family and we don’t want to see any more injured drivers pulled from our culvert.

2. If you live in West Oneonta, especially along Route 23, please consider submitting a written request for a guardrail to:

Tony Signorelli
44 Hawley St.
Binghamton, NY 13901

Thank you for your help in making our West Oneonta community safer!

Nick White and Jennifer Raphaelson White
West Oneonta