Lake Highlands Residents Petition for Increased Traffic Safety Measures After Fatal Crash

After a fatal car crash that occurred last month just half a mile from Moss Haven and Skyview elementary schools, Lake Highlands residents say they’re concerned for their children’s safety and are petitioning the Dallas City Council and police department to do something about it. 

A Change.org petition launched shortly after the Dec. 9 accident already has about 1,300 signatures. Organizer Megan DuBose says the crash — which occurred at 3:10 p.m. on a Monday afternoon — “signaled a nightmare we had feared for a long time in Lake Highlands school zones.” A McLaren sports car “so new it still had paper license plates came barreling south down Abrams Road through the school zone toward Royal Lane,” the Lake Highlands Advocate reported. 

“With Moss Haven and Skyview Elementary Schools (each less than half a mile from the crash site) just releasing their young students, the catastrophe could have been much worse,” DuBose wrote on the petition website. “Forest Meadow Middle School’s crosswalks are one-tenth of a mile away (roughly 530 feet) from the fatal crash site, but fortunately school had not yet been released. As a mother of two Skyview Elementary students, with friends whose children attend several local [Richardson ISD] schools in the area, I have lost sleep about the ‘what ifs’ related to this wreck and several other serious and fatal wrecks in our area. I know I am not alone.”

WFAA reported that the sports car struck a tree, killing both people inside and splitting the car in half. The vehicle’s occupants were later identified by the Dallas Police Department as Cristobal Flores Espino, 29, and Robert Leroy Rocha, 31. 

The petitioners are asking for a traffic study, increased police presence, and traffic-calming devices. 

Reckless driving is common in the area, DuBose said. 

“Unfortunately, due to the number of wrecks occurring near, and sometimes in, our yards, there is a legitimate danger for children not only walking to and from school but also for those being driven by parents and caregivers,” she said. 

The petition requests the City of Dallas take the following steps: 

• Conduct a comprehensive traffic study: Assess driving patterns and risks at high-traffic intersections, particularly around school start and dismissal hours.
• Increase police presence and engagement: Deploy officers to enforce traffic laws and monitor these high-risk intersections, especially near schools at start and dismissal times. Evaluate officers’ barriers to intervening with reckless driving when it happens to ensure appropriate solutions are provided. 
• Install traffic-calming measures: Implement speed bumps, additional flashing school zone lights, roundabouts, and pedestrian safety enhancements near schools and heavily trafficked streets. Particular concerns are school zones, and straightaways on Abrams, Royal, and Skillman, where dangerous driving seems to be escalating. 
• Raise public awareness: Educate residents about the dangers of reckless driving — particularly excessive speeding, red light running, and distracted driving — and what to do during hit-and-runs.

City Response 

We reached out to District 10 Councilmember Kathy Stewart, who represents the Lake Highlands area — and it turns out Stewart is well aware of the petition and the dangerous intersection it references. 

“I am committed to making Abrams and Whitehurst a safer intersection,” Stewart said in an email to CandysDirt.com. “Plans for crossing guards at this intersection are in the works with funds from District 10 and RISD. Right after the accident, I requested additional speeding enforcement. The neighborhood has also requested traffic enforcement through the Dallas 311 app. The next step is to get a traffic plan for this stretch of Abrams.”

DuBose said the community remains deeply committed to ensuring the safety of its residents, particularly children. 

“Immediate action is necessary to prevent further tragedies and enhance safety in Lake Highlands,” she said. “The families of Lake Highlands [plead] with the Dallas City Council and Dallas Police Department to act now before another preventable tragedy strikes our children and our community.”