Lakewood Roadway Turns From Dangerous to Deadly

Families in the Northeast Dallas community of Lakewood say they are concerned about the multiple vehicle crashes in their neighborhood.

Several crashes have occurred between Lakewood Boulevard and Monticello Avenue off of Abrams Road. In the past three weeks, cars have crashed into homeowner’s lawns, a woman’s bedroom, trees and utility poles.

Officers have responded to several accidents off of Vickery Boulevard, Velasco Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue. Last week, emergency crews rushed to the scene of a crash near Abrams Road and Vanderbilt Avenue where a man was hit and killed while heading home.

Susan Moore, who lives off of Abrams and Vickery, was home when she said a drunk driver plowed into her laundry room in 2013. She has been documenting crashes along Abrams Road, hoping that the city of Dallas will step in and do something.

“It's overwhelming when you look at it all,” she said. “There are certain times when you regard it as a common occurrence and there are other times when you just feel like a sitting duck.”

Councilman Mark Clayton said his solution to slow down drivers is to put another traffic light along Abrams. The traffic light will cost close to $250,000. Residents will be able to vote on it in the upcoming bond package election in early November.

According to residents, speed is not the only factor. The road is narrow, there are a lot of hills and the intersections are staggered.