SAN ANTONIO – A deadly crash on a curvy East Side neighborhood street has people there calling for more protection against speeding drivers.
The Tuesday night crash on Da Foste Avenue, which is not far from Interstate 10 and Martin Luther King Drive, caused the death of Janice Walker.
San Antonio police said that Walker, 70, was sitting on the front porch of her home when a speeding driver lost control of their vehicle and struck her.
Officers are still searching for the driver who fled the scene on foot.
Walker’s relatives descended on the home on Wednesday morning to clean up debris from the crash.
Anntwanette Hamilton took time to reminisce about Walker, her aunt.
Hamilton described Walker as a former beauty queen and hard worker, who often had sound advice at the ready.
“(She’d say), ‘Live life to the fullest. Have fun.’ But she said, ‘Be cautious about it,’” Hamilton recalled. “She loved to cook. She was always funny. She was outgoing.”
Hamilton said her family has been devastated by Walker’s death, but she said the speeding driver may not be the only one who is to blame.
Four years ago, according to Hamilton, workers who were making repairs at the city’s Da Foste Park Trailhead next door removed a fence and hedges around Walker’s home.
“The barriers, which were installed to protect against out-of-control cars, were supposed to be reinstalled, but that never happened,” Hamilton said. “So, all that would’ve been prevented, if the city would’ve come and done what it was supposed to do.”
KSAT 12 News called the City of San Antonio’s Parks and Recreation Department as well as Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (District 2)’s office, who represents that neighborhood.
Representatives from both promised to research the issue.
McKee-Rodriguez sent the following statement to KSAT on Wednesday night:
“My deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Ms. Janice Walker, and to all who knew her. This loss is devastating, and it underscores a failure within our community to protect one another at all times.
“Drivers have become increasingly reckless in recent years. We’ve all seen people running stop signs, ignoring speed limits, driving through medians, and using their phones behind the wheel, and this behavior has serious consequences. In this tragic case, it cost a life.
“We are committed to both short- and long-term measures to calm traffic, including reviewing Dafoste Avenue for speed bumps, flashing lights, and warning signs. But the reality is, even the best traffic-calming measures will never be enough if drivers do not respect the rules of the road and take responsibility for our shared safety.
“Ms. Walker will be remembered for her kindness and the love she showed to her family. We owe it to her, and to every resident, to do everything we can to prevent tragedies like this.”
In another statement, the city’s Public Works Department told KSAT, in part, that it “will review” Da Foste Avenue “to determine what potential improvements can be considered such as traffic-calming measures.”
“Public Works has no record of a chevron or curve warning sign ever being installed on this street,” the department spokesperson said. “The hedges in the right-of-way at the home involved were removed in 2023 when sidewalks were built.”
A sign on the lawn of a home next door to Walker’s warns drivers to slow down. It also indicates that speeding has been an ongoing issue there.
“There are those folks that evidently have to show their manhood by speeding,” Armond Hathaway, president of the neighborhood association, said. “This is a straight thoroughfare for people to speed on.”
When the association meets Thursday evening, Hathaway said the speeding issue will be at the top of the list for discussion.
He said there had been previous discussions about installing speed bumps, but some neighbors opposed to the idea.
In the wake of Walker’s death, Hathaway said it may be time to revive that concept.
Hamilton agreed that something needs to be done.
“Caution, flashing lights,” Hamilton said, listing different options.
Although the residents did not provide a description of that person, it appears that some neighbors have surveillance cameras that may have captured images of the fleeing driver.
More local news coverage on KSAT: