Montreal driver nearly killed after steel rod pierces her windshield

A Montreal driver who was nearly killed whena metal rod flew from a construction site and pierced her windshield is wondering why no one is facing consequences for the incident.

Sigal Karasik sat down with CBC's Daybreak Montrealhost Mike Finnerty to explain what happened the day she was nearly impaled.

I had glass shards in my eyes in my hair, all over me even in my mouth.- SigalKarasik

Karasik was driving east on Saint-Jacques Street one afternoon in November, passing beside theTurcot Interchange construction site, nearthe corner of Saint-Rmi Street,whenshe suddenly heard a loud noise.

"I was paralyzed for a good half a minute and then all I saw was this huge hole in the windshield directly where my face is. Right in front of my face a hole in the windshield," she said.

"I started to look around in the car to try to figure out what happened and I noticed to my right, there was a big iron rod."

Onceshe realized what happened, Karasikpulled over and flagged down the construction workers.

She said the protectivebarrier separatingthe construction sitefromthe road was so lowthat the workers were able to step right over it when she waved to them.

"They saw my car and that's when they all started to go woah this is serious"

You can't play with people's lives like that,due to incomplete plans.- SigalKarasik

Karasikcalled 911 and was taken to hospital.

She said it wasn't until she was in the emergency room that she realized she was hurt.

"My hands were cut up there was blood all over my hands. I had glass everywhere," she said.

"My jacket was ripped up, I had glass shards in my eyes in my hair, all over me even in my mouth."

Karasiksaid she still can't believehow close the rod came to killing her.

"One thing that I don't understand is that I'm still alive," she said, choking back tears.

"The hole was directly in front of my face and for some reason it landed right beside me and not in my head."

Steel rodwasn't in the plans

Following the incident,the contractor L.A.Hbert suspended work and the Transport Ministry closed the site for a few days to review what happened.

Transport Quebec spokesperson SarahBensadounsaid it turns out a piece of reinforcing steel also known asrebar was embedded in the pavement that crews had been dismantling with ahydraulic hammer.

The force of the hammer was so great that therebarcame loose and was propelled into traffic.

Bensadoun said theconstruction crews didn't know the rebar was there, because the original plans they were relying on didn't list it.

It turns out the metal reinforcement steel was onlyadded later, during maintenance work.

Karasikcan't accept that explanation.

"It's a big company. It's a big project. Incomplete plans? You can't play with people's lives like that,due to incomplete plans," she said.

Higher protection barriers recommended

Quebec's workplace health and safety board (CSST) visited the work site following the incident and released a reportrecommendinga correction to the work site.Specifically, it suggestedinstalling a higher barrier wall to protect traffic from the construction.

It's not an incident that you can just say 'Oops, we'll put up a higher wall' and that's it."- SigalKarasik

That wall has since been added, along with other measures, including changes to the way workers are dismantling the pavement.

No one has been penalized or fined for the incident.

The process to lay fines can take up to a year and while aspokesperson for theCSSTwould not confirm whether there will be any penalties, shesaid it is possible.

"It's not a light accident," Karasik said."It's not an incident that you can just say 'Oops, we'll put up a higher wall' and that's it."

Transport Quebec says measures were 'adequate'

SarahBensadoun, aspokesperson for Transport Quebec, said the measures the contractor had in place before the incidentwere "adequate"but said they're always open to suggestions toimprove safety even more.

She saidthey take the incident "very seriously."

"We're talking about security for road users. It could've been very dangerous, especially for the driver," Bensadoun said.