- Police say one driver left the scene, but residents quickly pulled another man from a smoking car, worried it could catch fire.
- Community leaders, including the Miller Park Minne Lusa Neighborhood Association, say reckless driving and ignored stop signs have become routine hazards.
- With children often playing in nearby yards and streets, neighbors fear more crashes will happen unless drivers slow down in their residential community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Melissa Wright at 31st and Redick—where a stop sign was left completely flattened after a hit-and-run crash. Neighbors say drivers keep blowing through signs and pushing the speed limit, and they’re now asking people to slow down.
Latishia Jordan says she usually takes this route home after class. But last night was different—when she came across the scene.
“I could never pass a scene like that and not make sure everybody is okay… thank God that it was— because it was tragic. The one car was wrapped around the tree and if you can help in any kind of way—that's what you should be doing.”
Police say one driver involved in the crash took off. That’s when neighbors stepped in to help.
“We were able to get him across the street because it was very smokey…and we wanted to make sure that the car was not going to catch fire or anything like that.” Jordan recalled.
Neighbors say this area is normally quiet, but speeding has gotten out of control. For some drivers, stop signs seem nonexistent.
Nancy Gardner, president of the Miller Park Minne Lusa neighborhood, says it’s a constant concern.
“It blows my mind that people will speed in a residential area—we have children that play in our streets, children that play in our yards… they will run out and get their balls.”
Omaha police report nearly 5,000 hit-and-runs across the city in 2024. Gardner says residents are worried.
“Our neighbors are really concerned because how do you stop people from speeding? Obviously the main thing we'd want people to do is slow down.”
Neighbors told me this isn’t the first crash at this intersection this month. They hope it serves as a reminder for drivers to pay attention.
“This is a neighborhood of families…” Gardner said.
“Just being mindful of our surroundings, stop going so fast—because we never know if somebody is going to run that stop sign,” Jordan added.
In North Omaha, I’m Melissa Wright.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
