Ethel and Jose Machado, parents of Emma Machado; one of the two UVIC students who tragically passed a year ago this September, address the provincial and federal government in their letter of request to fix the Bamfield road.
The Machado's go into heart-breaking detail on how their lives have been forever changed by the accident that should have never happened. Their only wish is that the loss of the daughter not be in vain and that the improvement of the road take priority in the future so that more families don't have to experience what they, unfortunately have had to go through.
Please consider their letter and remember that in writing your own to MLA Scott Fraser has an influence on the decision making on whether or not the road should be fixed, which if you've been following along, desperately needs to be.
Thank you.
The letter reads as follows:
Ethel MacIntosh and Jose Machado August 16, 2020
“Fix the Bamfield Road”
Dear Minister Fraser:
It is almost a year now since the University of Victoria field trip to the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre ended in tragedy. Our daughter, Emma Machado and her friend, John Geerdes, died that night of September 13, 2019. We struggle every day grappling with that reality.
Emma and John specifically chose to attend the University of Victoria and had fallen in love with British Columbia, particularly Vancouver Island. They were just starting to live their lives as young independent adults and had so many personal gifts to share with the world. Emma was excited to have an opportunity to visit Bamfield to expand her knowledge of research opportunities in the marine sciences and to explore and enjoy the beauty of that area.
The road from Port Alberni to Bamfield is woefully inadequate for the volume of traffic which includes local residents, tourists, and the many university students and faculty who frequent that route. These inadequacies and safety concerns were well known before the UVic accident which has devastated our family. The necessary funding required to address the safety of and improve the road conditions must be approved.
Our family, we and Emma’s sister, Samantha, are forever changed as individuals and as a family unit as we navigate this nightmare that we find ourselves in. Unless the government of British Columbia moves forward to improve the Bamfield Road there will undoubtedly be other families who will have similar experiences. While this will not restore our family, it may provide us with some small comfort that the loss of Emma has contributed to a safer route for others. She and John did not even reach Bamfield. Others should be able to experience the beauty of that area with the expectation that they can do so in relative safety.
Sincerely,
Ethel MacIntosh and Jose Machado `cc:
Premier J. Horgan
Mr. B. Beckett
Chief R. Dennis
Hon C. Trevena
Hon D. Donaldosn
Hon C. James