JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After one teenager died and two others were hurt in a crash that police believe involved speeding, residents in southwest Duval County are asking why there's not more traffic enforcement on Oakleaf Village Parkway.
"It's almost like the highway. Nobody's out there to check and see if everybody's doing what they're supposed to do," said a resident who didn't want to be named. "It's like a race track."
Witnesses told police Monday the car was speeding and possibly racing two others before losing control. Three Oakleaf High School students were inside when the car crashed into a tree in the median. Keondre Moss, 16, didn't survive the crash. Tajuan Richey and Brian Ransom were hospitalized with serious injuries.
While News4Jax was covering the crash, several people came up to say speeding is a major concern on this road.
"I sit on my back (porch), and I can just hear the engines roar," a resident said.
Amanda Mitchell and her husband, Stephen Michell have lived in Oakleaf for five years and say speeding is a problem that's only gotten worse.
"We have got kids in elementary (school), so we won't even let them walk on the main road," Amanda Mitchell said. "They have to walk through the park to come home because I'm terrified that something is going to happen to them, somebody's going to be speeding one day, just lose control and hit a kid that's walking home."
Oakleaf Village Parkway is 2 miles long and runs from a quiet residential area in Clay County to the intersection with Argyle Forest Boulevard in Jacksonville, where the road becomes Old Middleburg Road. Along the way, it passes two schools, shopping areas and entrances to several neighborhoods.
The speed limit leading up to where the crash happened is 35 mph.
News4Jax set up a radar gun at several spots on the road Wednesday and found the majority of drivers were exceeding the limit. We clocked one vehicle going 50 mph.
Residents said they weren't surprised.
"This is a temptation for a lot of people because it is an open road, for the most part," News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson said. "It's just a sad thing to see."
People in the area believe greater law enforcement presence and adding a few stop signs or lights to the Oakleaf Village Parkway would make a difference and could save lives.