Aurora neighbors continue calls for safety improvements in community where 12-year-old boy was killed

CBS News

4 days ago

The death of a 12-year-old boy in Aurora has neighbors calling for safety changes in their neighborhood. Police said a distracted driver hit the Colorado boy who was riding his scooter on a crosswalk Saturday morning.
"Heartbreaking, heartbreaking," said Bo Hernandez, a neighbor who left flowers at a growing memorial for the boy near East Iliff Avenue and South Wheel Park Circle. "Everybody was crying, it was devastating."
In the 10 years Hernandez has lived in the neighborhood near that intersection, she said there have been at least a half dozen deadly crashes on Iliff, between South Chambers Road and South Buckley Road. Hernandez said speeding is a major problem and likely contributor to those crashes as well as blocked traffic signs and signals.
"And when you try to turn, these trees totally block the intersection from seeing the cars coming over that hill," she said of the intersection at Iliff and South Kittredge Way, just a half block from her home. "A guy on a motorcycle coming down Iliff was going 100 mph and died when he broadsided another driver who had the green light."
It's been an issue for neighbors for years, Hernandez said. Even as she was talking with CBS News Colorado's Kelly Werthmann, another neighbor walked into the interview to share her frustrations about drivers repeatedly crashing into her neighbor's property.
"Since I've lived here for three years," Rachel Paxman told Werthmann, "I've watched this fence get rebuilt five times if not more."
From speeding cars to distracted drivers, neighbors have seen the dangers lead to a lot of loss.
"We were telling Kelly that we've seen a lot of fatalities here already," Hernandez said to Paxman.
Another neighbor, Ray Furman, has lived in the area for almost 30 years. He said he could have easily been one of those fatalities at the same crosswalk where the boy riding his scooter was killed.
"In that crosswalk I was almost hit twice," Furman said.
"At what point, Ray, were you fed up and you felt like you needed to do something?" asked Werthmann.
"Oh, probably 15 years ago," he replied.
For more than a decade, Furman said he has brought his concerns to Aurora City Council in hopes of bringing safety improvements to his neighborhood. Furman also attends monthly meetings with the council member representing his community, but nothing ever comes of it, he said.
"Police are also there," Furman said of the meetings, "but that's as far as it gets."
He also wants greater accountability for reckless drivers.
"There's not a lot of consequences to people's actions, and that really needs to be changed," said Furman.
A change that is too late for a 12-year-old boy, but one the community won't stop fighting for.
"I know this community cares; they care very much," said Hernandez. "We've got to have something done."
An Aurora spokesperson provided the following statement about this story:
The city of Aurora and the Aurora Police Department offer deep condolences to the family affected by this weekend's tragedy. We will continue supporting them as they grieve this unthinkable loss. We wholeheartedly acknowledge the concerns that arise in the wake of such tragic incidents like these. While safety countermeasures are already in place, we will continue to explore additional possible options to further enhance safety. Safe driving is a shared responsibility. Every person behind the wheel has a duty to remain alert, eliminate distractions, and make responsible choices that protect not only themselves but everyone around them. Our officers continue to conduct proactive enforcement, focusing on areas identified through crash data and community concerns. We urge all drivers to put their phones down, stay focused on the road, and follow traffic laws. The decisions made while driving can have lasting and life-altering consequences.