Petition to stop illegal street racing gains signatures after 3 killed in Fort Worth
A petition with more than 1,800 signatures was circulating Monday by residents who want Fort Worth city officials and police to address a ”rampant problem of illegal street racing,” a crime that left three people dead early Friday.
The petition, started by David Ferrell, noted the problem has been going on for years in the Summer Creek area in southwest Fort Worth.
Residents said they are asking Fort Worth city officials, Mayor Betsy Price, council members including Councilman Jungus Jordan, and Police Chief Ed Kraus to “swiftly” address the problem because more illegal street racing has occurred despite the deaths of a couple and a street race driver Friday morning at West Risinger Road and Burr Oak Lane. Jordan, the District 6 councilman, represents the area where the fatal accident occurred.
Jordan said Monday that he shared the concerns of the community and that his 14-year-old sister was killed by a street racer years ago.
“I can assure you that our City Manager, Mayor, City Council and city staff — especially our professional police officers and city traffic engineers — do everything reasonably possible to keep our city safe and enforce traffic laws,” Mayor Pro Tem Jordan said in a Monday email to the Star-Telegram. “The loss of any life is one too many.”
Jordan noted that seven people had lost their lives last week in one night in separate accidents in Fort Worth due to irresponsible drivers.
“We take this very seriously and continuously work to ensure every reasonable effort is taken to protect lives, engineer safe roadways and enforce traffic laws,” Jordan said. “I have personally voiced concerns, as have other councilmembers, regarding street racing and excessive speeds/noise on our roadways.”
Price’s office referred to Jordan’s statement in response to a request for comment.
Killed in Friday’s accident were Ben and Meg Arbour of Fort Worth, who were out on a date and were headed home, according to friends. The couple had four children, but the children were not with them.
Fort Worth police reported the couple were in their car, pulling into their neighborhood in the 4700 block of West Risinger Road, when one of two vehicles racing in the street crashed into them. The racing vehicle, only occupied by a driver, went into a stone wall and the car flipped over, police said. All three people were pronounced dead on the scene.
The racing driver killed was identified as Marcus D. Bell, 19, of Fort Worth, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office website on Monday.
The other vehicle that was racing sped away, police said. The driver has not been found and no description of the car has been released.
Over the weekend, Fort Worth police asked for help to identify the driver who fled the scene. Anyone with information should call 817-392-4885.
The petition mentioned Friday’s fatal accident, noting that the Arbours’ car “was struck at an extremely high rate of speed” and that “there is no evidence on the road of any attempt to slow down by the street racer” who was killed.
“Both vehicles were unrecognizable with one vehicle (the street racer’s vehicle) having caught fire and burned because of the sheer force of the accident,” the petition says. “... Two families devastated for a cheap thrill.”
The petition also pointed out that illegal street racing is a daily/nightly occurrence in the area. There is a stretch of just over a mile on West Risinger Road where six neighborhood turn-ins are located that presents dangers for drivers, according to the petition.
The neighborhood is filed with joggers, dog walkers, walkers, retirees, bike riders and others, the petition says. Dallas Park Elementary School also is on West Risinger Road.
“Now, a family is forever shattered leaving 4 children without their parents,” the petition says. “We strongly urge action to be taken.”
Residents proposed these potential solutions:
▪ Adding four-way stop stops with flashing lights and a ground-lit pedestrian crosswalk at three of the six neighborhood turn-ins. The four-way stops would be at South Shavano Drive, Tangelridge Drive and Whisper Drive.
▪ Adding stop lights at two of the neighborhood turn-ins at Tangleridge Drive and Whisper Drive.
▪ Adding speed bumps with actively lit and flashing warning signs at each of the six neighborhood turn-ins. Residents said this would not be the ideal solution, but rather an option.
▪ Assigning police presence to the area to patrol night and day, actively seeking out illegal street racers.
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 12:20 PM.
