Ahwatukee has become an unlikely demolition derby, with out-of-control cars repeatedly crashing into a block wall near 48th Street and Elliot Road. Residents are rattled and demanding action after a series of accidents have not only destroyed property but also raised serious safety concerns in this Phoenix suburb.
"It just sounded like just rubber on the road, like it was crazy loud—pretty much loudest tires I've ever heard on the road," Matt Seelig, an Ahwatukee resident, recounted to ABC15. Seelig witnessed the latest incident firsthand, seeing skid marks and a car careening out of control in his backyard. Another local, Jenny Sullivan, expressed her relief that her family wasn't home when parts of her backyard wall came tumbling into her grill area due to a previous crash.
This recurring danger spot has seen at least four crashes in less than two years, with neighbors reporting incidents to ABC15. One car ended up in a pool, another took out the neighborhood's power, and numerous have left unsettling holes in the walls lining residents' properties. The issue has escalated to the point where locals feel imperiled simply by walking or cycling on 48th Street.
"How do you disincentivize people from driving that fast when it's the size of like a normal city's freeway?" Seelig posed the question to ABC15. Sylvia Charbonneau, another affected homeowner, detailed to ABC15 after an earlier series of crashes that her backyard was left in ruins, with debris even entering her pool. "People need to slow down, they need to lower the speed limit, they need to maybe put up some sort of barrier. Someone's going to get killed," Charbonneau warned.
In response to the turmoil, Phoenix Street Transportation Department stated that residents can begin requesting safety features like speed humps, cushions, or additional signage to curb the high-speed menace. But for those living with the reality of wreckage in their backyards, solutions can't come soon enough. Neighbors intend to collaborate with the city in hopes of preventing the next car from turning their homesteads into crash sites.
