Over the weekend in Dallas, NBC 5 confirmed reports of at least three people who died after being hit by cars.
This comes nearly two weeks following the death of a young woman who was hit by a Dallas police cruiser.
Sunday afternoon, Dallas police responded to an incident at the 300 block of Pleasant Vista Drive. Witness Vandala Dunn called 911 and said she was shaken by what unfolded.
“I did see a lady that was outside the vehicle, and she was struck by one of the guys that was in a black truck,” said Dunn. “He ended up being under the car, and he drug her from this end all the way to the next street over. Just seeing it in person, I’m still at a loss for words.”
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Early in the investigation, police told NBC 5 they’d responded to a shooting call but later discovered a 27-year-old woman hit by a vehicle. The woman died at the scene and was later identified as Juana Maria Sanchez Gonzalez.
Dallas police told NBC 5 Wednesday they do not believe Gonzalez was targeted.
Just hours before that incident, Dallas police were on the scene of two fatal collisions between pedestrians and vehicles at two separate locations. One was on St. Augustine Road in Pleasant Grove and the other occurred in Oak Cliff.
Dallas resident Yvette Ortiz knows all too well the pain of this kind of loss. Her 3-year-old son Jorge was hit and killed by a driver in a parking lot off Northwest Highway in 2019. She wears his ashes around her neck.
“He loved Thomas the Train. So, we decided to put his ashes in here and I never take it off,” said Ortiz.
She said anytime she reads about a fatal pedestrian collision, she’s back at the scene of her own tragedy.
"It just brings all those emotions back,” she said. “Something needs to be done because it’s like every day it’s somebody new.”
In 2019, the City of Dallas launched the ‘Vision Zero Action Plan,’ a plan to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 50% by 2030.
An interactive dashboard showed that more than 400 crashes between pedestrians and vehicles have occurred this year, 45 of which were fatal. The data also showed that 97 crashes have resulted in severe injuries. While the number of crashes causing severe injuries is down by 21 compared to last year, the data showed there were 13 more collisions compared to the previous year. The overall numbers trend upward between 2020 and 2023.
“If you’re getting behind the wheel, you’re consciously knowing you’re responsible for this vehicle,” Ortiz said. “The vehicle doesn’t kill people. It’s the people, the way you drive.”
At a recent meeting in Pleasant Grove, the Lake June Road corridor was on the table for discussion. Between 2019 and 2023, nearly 40 pedestrian and bicycle-related crashes were reported on Lake June Road.
A study provided by the assistant director of engineering and operations for the Dallas Department of Transportation identified several deficiencies in the existing infrastructure.
The department identified a need for pedestrian indicators on traffic signals and an upgrade on push buttons for crosswalks. The report also said crosswalks and lane line striping should be “refreshed” throughout most of the corridor.
Since her son’s death, Ortiz said she’s more aware of reckless behavior and dangers on the road and she wants to see a change.
“Not paying attention, being intoxicated. I see so many of those reports,” she said. “It’s accountability for the person that’s driving.”
The man wanted for hitting Ortiz’s son five years ago was identified by police as 24-year-old Ramon Garcia Ruiz. He is still on the run.
In November, NBC 5 Investigates obtained a draft copy of a Vision Zero progress report that showed a few action items completed.
Many items were listed as "in progress" or had not been started.
Council members requested a briefing early this year after an NBC 5 investigation revealed documents suggesting a lack of progress on key steps toward reducing traffic deaths and injuries in the city.
