West Side residents not surprised by latest deadly crash along "accident-prone stretch"

Baldemar Rodriguez, 36, died in crash

SAN ANTONIO – West Side residents say they want an end to the continuous crashes in a problem area near Waters Edge Drive.

KSAT reported on a crash Tuesday night near Waters Edge Drive in which a vehicle was sent right into a backyard fence, killing the driver. It comes as no surprise to residents in the area, however, who say crashes are a serious problem in the area.

“I was ready to shower and just relax on the couch, and before I know it, I just heard a loud crash,” said Shayla Myers, whose fence was damaged when a car crashed into her yard.

People rushed to try to help the driver.

“Like, 30 people yelling for him to stay with us, and they were holding his neck and trying to stabilize him. They asked me for some scissors to cut his seat belt off,” Myers said.

The driver, 36-year-old Baldemar Rodriguez, was rushed to a hospital, where he later died.

“There have been all kinds of crashes along this road, and I think they usually happen at night. I don't know if it’s a visibility issue,” said Mike Becker, who lives in the area.

“You've got cars coming by at 60 miles per hour,” said Baudelio Martinez, who also lives nearby.

A KSAT crew saw vehicles coming at a high rate of speed around the same curve where the crash happened. Neighbors said they hope officials can install something to slow drivers down.

“Speed bumps would be helpful. You go to other neighborhoods, speed bumps are there, and you can see the cars slowing down,” Martinez said.

“Maybe a speed sign with cameras that catches a speeding license plate number,” said Dorothy Martinez, who lives nearby.

District 6 Councilman Greg Brockhouse said his office is treating the issue as a top priority and has already submitted an engineering request to the city's transportation and capital improvements division to do a traffic analysis to determine what changes can be made to help fix the problem.


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