BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A little more than five months have passed since a horrific crash on a busy west Bexar County road took the life of a woman.
Jacob Sanchez said he remembers almost every detail of what happened.
“I was standing right here, in this area here, and I was looking in this direction,” Sanchez said, pointing to a stretch of Alamo Ranch Parkway, just west of Lone Star Parkway. “Next thing you know, I just see a bunch of smoke and a car flipping.”
Sanchez was working at The Car Wash Express and raced over to try to help the woman in the car. She was later identified as Patricia Browning, 71.
However, Browning died from her injuries.
Bexar County Sheriff’s investigators arrested the other driver involved, a then-20-year-old named Richard Aron Gonzales, on a charge of manslaughter.
At the time, deputies said he was traveling at more than 100 miles per hour.
“I mean, nothing’s changed at all,” Sanchez said. “I still see cars flying down this road.”
Sanchez and others who frequent the area said they hoped more would have been done by now to slow drivers down.
“It’s getting worse, I think,” said Zonia Abel, who works at a gym nearby. “There are a lot of people that just race up and down the street. It’s a little out of control now, especially with all the growth that we’re having in the area.”
That growth was the catalyst for a study that the Bexar County Public Works Department had already been conducting in conjunction with the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority (RMA).
The two entities are focusing on solutions to traffic congestion in that area.
According to Tiffany Payton, a public information officer for the county, one of the solutions involves installing an overpass for eastbound drivers on Alamo Ranch Parkway near Westwood Loop. The county recently completed one on the westbound side of the road.
She said RMA is also working on an overall design for the whole stretch of Alamo Ranch Parkway from Loop 1604 to the current dead-end at Calaveras Way. That design, she said, could include additional overpasses along the road.
Still, some said that won’t do much to help with an even bigger problem: the speeding drivers.
Both Abel and Sanchez said the best solution would be to add more traffic lights.
“It is frustrating ‘cause without (anything) happening, you know, there’s always a chance of (deadly crashes) happening again,” Sanchez said.
According to the Department of Public Safety’s records, there have been at least five more crashes in that area since the one that killed Browning. It does not appear any of them resulted in serious injuries.
In a statement, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said it has stepped up efforts since the deadly crash to slow down speeding drivers.
“Traffic enforcement along Alamo Ranch Parkway has been increased, including targeted efforts by our motorcycle unit due to the high volume of traffic in this area. Additionally, we have partnered with TxDOT through a grant program, which allows us to provide enhanced coverage. This not only increases enforcement but also serves as a visible deterrent to reduce speeding, reckless driving, and prevent crashes.”
Bexar County Sheriff's Office
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