SAN ANTONIO – Prayers can be hard to hear over the sounds coming from Southeast Military Drive, but to the family and friends of Jeanette Espitia, that didn’t matter Tuesday night.
They held a vigil to remember the San Antonio mom who died last Thursday. She was hit and killed while trying to cross the street. Now, her family is calling on the city to increase pedestrian safety measures in the wake of her death.
“I don’t want her to be just another person who died on the road,” Jesse Espitia, her brother, said. “I want to keep her memory alive and fight for her.”
Around 10:30 p.m. last Thursday, Jeanette had just gotten off the bus with her 1-year-old daughter. She had made a quick stop at Walmart to pick up diapers. She tried crossing Southeast Military Drive near Old Corpus Christi Highway when she was hit by a car heading east.
Her daughter was uninjured, but Jeanette and her unborn son, Jai Jai, died in the hospital. She was eight months pregnant when she was hit and killed.
At the time of the crash, San Antonio police said the crash was an accident. Jeanette was not crossing at a crosswalk, and the driver stopped to help with the investigation after the crash. The preliminary report from SAPD listed no charges.
Neighbors told KSAT on Tuesday night that this stretch of Southeast Military Drive is known for similar accidents.
“This street is really dangerous,” Gloria Otero said.
Otero walks back and forth from her apartment to work every day. She knew Jeanette,
“I think they need to put more security here, more lights for people here and police need to be monitoring the drivers driving too fast here,” she said.
The bus stop Jeanette was crossing at is hundreds of feet away from the nearest crosswalk. Neighbors told KSAT a flashing crosswalk was recently added, but it doesn’t always stop drivers from speeding.
“I’ve lived here 13 years at these same apartments, and I’ve seen six to seven people killed,” Jesse Espitia said.
Jeanette leaves behind three young children — a 10-year-old son, a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old daughter. Her family is fundraising to support the children.
Read also: