Dallas

East Dallas Neighbors Call for Change After Elderly Woman Killed in Hit and Run

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Dallas police are still looking for the drivers of the two cars they said were racing when one hit and killed an elderly woman.

Dallas police have arrested one of the two drivers wanted in connection with the hit-and-run crash that killed a 73-year-old woman as she walked her dog Friday afternoon.

In a tweet Thursday, the Dallas Police Department's fugitive unit announced the arrest. No further information was given.

The second driver remains at-large.

It happened while 73-year-old Linda Pearson was out walking her dog along Ferguson Road Friday afternoon.

Neighbors say speeding and street racing have been a problem there for years.

“It was, unfortunately, a matter of time just because of the way people drive on Ferguson,” said Martha Barrios.

Barrios, who’s lived several blocks away from the crash site for a decade, said she’s witnessed several crashes.

She said the sound of street racing wakes her at night and first thing in the morning and that it’s only grown worse in recent years.

"I've contacted council people in the past and unfortunately I didn't get much traction,’’ said Barrios.

Council Member Paula Blackmon said she’s heard those pleas for help from several neighbors.

And though people want to see immediate action, she’s reassuring those she speaks with that work is being done at city hall to find a solution.

“It's money and it's resources, and then it's implementation. And so, we are working through that,” said Blackmon.

Tomorrow, Blackmon’s inviting the community to a Zoom meeting where they can hear from Dallas police about enforcement efforts she said has led to an increase in citations.

There is also a corridor study that’s been funded to figure out how to slow traffic along the six-lane straightaway.

Blackmon said that a three-pronged approach to the problem, using engineering, enforcement and education, to solve the problem takes time.

“It’s a process because you have to gain data. You have to look at things, and it’s also traffic signals. It’s also streetlights. So, we’re looking at all of this,” said Blackmon. "We are working on it, and we have been working on it, and we'll continue to work on it,” she said.

With five fatalities in that stretch this year, neighbors hope it’s a change that will come sooner rather than later.

“I really do hope that this is an opportunity for the city of Dallas to step up and take this opportunity to change and to reduce the speeding on Ferguson. Because again, it’s only a matter of time before someone else is killed,” said Barrios.

Thursday’s meeting will take place via Zoom at 5 p.m. Login information can be found on Blackmon’s Facebook page.

Editor's note: This story was updated Thursday to show the arrest of one of the two drivers wanted in connection with the crash.

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