West Dallas Crash That Killed 3 Siblings Prompts Calls For Change
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DALLAS (CBS11) - Henry Martinez looks out on the intersection where three young siblings were killed in a violent crash and insists he's had enough.
"Speed," fumes Martinez, "all the time, 60, 70 mph. Racing."
The West Dallas native says the crash which also critically injured a 13-year-old sibling is becoming a neighborhood call to action. The intersection at Singleton Boulevard and Peoria, he says, has long been called dangerous and there are others. He says homeowners are fed up with risking their lives just go get across the street.
"Frustrated. Angry. Saddened…it's time to do something about it. It really is."
Maricela Mendoza was taking her children to karate class Monday evening when she tried to pull onto Singleton from Peoria. According to Dallas Police, Ms. Mendoza had a clear intersection when she pulled forward to make the left turn. But, according to investigators, Xavier Mandell Taylor was speeding as he traveled west bound on Singleton and struck the left side of Ms. Mendoza's vehicle with so much force that it pushed her vehicle into the opposite lanes of traffic.
Martinez, who says he's also the President of the Ledbetter Neighborhood Association, says that same danger is duplicated block after block because of the lack of traffic signals.
"If you pull right there, you got a car coming 60 mph, there's no way that car's going to stop."
The fatal crash has prompted other homeowners to recall their own close calls attempting to cross the busy street, with one telling CBS11 he'd almost been hit at least a half dozen times.
Many blame excessive speeding in that area. So we purchased a radar gun from a local store to check it for ourselves.
The speed limit along Singleton is 35 mph. Most drivers passed traveling 45 mph, sometimes faster.
A few found Dallas Police waiting. The area is regularly targeted as part of the department's traffic enforcement effort, with the locations announced beforehand on the department's social media pages.
A pricey citation may in fact slow down those ticketed, but community leaders are calling for the city to get involved to usher in more permanent changes.
"There should be a red light right here," insists Martinez, "a blinking red light, something to make traffic stop. We're risking our lives and you see what happened a few days ago: It shouldn't have happened. It just hurts. It hurts."
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