Residents of a subdivision in Ashburn, Virginia, are worried that proposed plans to create a recreation trail in the area could bring about a repeat of a 2016 tragedy that left a teenager seriously injured.
A group of residents, most of whom live on Walkley Hill Place in Belmont Glenn Village, said the accident involved a swimming hole in nearby Goose Creek.
In 2016, a teenager swinging from a rope swing into the creek landed in shallow water and rocks. The fall caused injuries so severe, responding paramedics had to use a special gurney to pull him up the steep hillside.
The rope swing and the tree are now gone. The entrance to Goose Creek Pointe Park, currently considered undeveloped, is marked closed.
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“I’m really concerned of having a repeat of 2016,” resident Amy Johnson said.
Neighbors also said they want to make sure any new trails don’t intensify problems they’ve had with cars blocking driveways and the cul-de-sac being used as a makeshift beach.
Avinash Makey said he recently had to call 911 when his toddler suffered a seizure. He worries what would happen if an ambulance was slowed down by the parked cars of people accessing the swimming hole.
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“I can’t imagine a scenario where this becomes a virtual parking lot for the park, and the EMT has to wait,” Makey said.
Douglas Hoyles, who lives nearby, said he supports the plan to create trails.
He said if the street weren’t wide enough for emergency vehicles and cars, officials would’ve put a yellow curb where cars wouldn’t be allowed to park.
“They did that over on the other side where it wasn’t wide enough, but this side is wide enough,” he said.
In a statement to News4, Kraig Troxell, Communications Manager for Loudoun County Parks, said: “It would be premature to speculate on the future design of the park, which would involve a public input process. A future planned trail system in this area will be accessed at the trailhead at nearby Edgar Tillett Park."
Residents have sent a petition outlining their concerns to state and local officials.
