PHOENIX — A man on a motorcycle was killed Wednesday night after a crash near 17th Street and Thunderbird Road.
The intersection is a known problem spot to nearby apartment complex residents.
After Wednesday's deadly crash, Kylie Kwiatkowski is fed up.
"We just really want something to be done, this death was really preventable," Kwiatkowski said.
It was dark around 8 p.m. when Phoenix Police say a motorcycle collided with a sedan. 24-year-old Omar De La Rosa was pronounced dead at the scene. Phoenix police is investigating. It's still unclear if speed or impairment are factors.
Kwiatkowski says this has happened before and is saddened by the loss of life.
"This is the second time a motorcyclist has died outside our complex within the past couple of months. The last one I believe was in April," she said.
Caleb Bare has lived at the complex for three years and has a bird's-eye view of Thunderbird Road.
He says motorcyclist treat the wide-open street like a racetrack.
"Those motorcycles hit this hill going 100 miles per hour all the time, my unit overlooks this street," he said.
With the way the roadway is constructed, including sidewalks on both sides, Bare says there's simply no room for speed enforcement.
"I don't think I've ever seen a cop pulled over waiting to stop somebody," Bare said.
The problem he says is poor sight lines. With hills on both sides, it's hard to see what's coming at the 17th Street intersection, so drivers have to "gun it" to make it out onto Thunderbird between speeding cars.
"We definitely need a light there," Bare said. "We just do!"
The situation is so bad Kwiatkowski says residents circulated a petition recently to get the city to take notice.
The City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department sent this statement to ABC15:
"The Street Transportation Department is aware of these recent fatal collisions and has received requests from residents who live in that area for a traffic signal in that location. Staff is reviewing if the addition of a signal light or another type of safety improvement is warranted."
For residents like Kwiatkowski and Bare, action from the city is long overdue.
"This is just one of the most dangerous parts I've seen. It really is," Bare said.
