Prospect Road Not What It Seems
As I drove down Prospect Road this morning around 9am it was calm and tranquil. It conveyed the feeling of an idyllic little road that residents use to get in and out of their neighborhoods. The last thing it felt like was the scene of a fatal accident. Yet, less than 12 hours before that is exactly what it was. Even sadder though is that Prospect Road while seemingly peaceful at times, it is far from it. In fact it has been the scene of many accidents.
"We Hear All the Accidents"
As a nearby resident I drive on Prospect Road every single day. It is the only way in and the only way out for myself and for my neighbors. So on a daily basis we experience the peaks and lulls of the traffic and quite a few of the accidents. Some residents, as a result of the location of their home, are witnesses to much more.
William James Ormsby and his husband Miguel who own a house that abuts Prospect Road share that they hear all the accidents.
"The problem is the speeding and the north south cross traffic. Not one person is doing the speed limit... We have had multiple accidents since the 35 mph speed limit has been in place. We hear all the accidents."
Ormsby conveyed those thoughts to me after we spoke about an accident that occurred in April 2021, in which a car overturned after hitting a Mustang. He then shared pictures and details of the accidents he had collected. It was just accident after accident and since then others have occurred and, sadly, last night it was fatal.
Accident After Accident
April 22, 2021 Overturned Car
In late April I was driving west on Prospect Road, heading home when I saw an overturned four door Hyundai and a Mustang with its front end destroyed on the eastbound side of Prospect. I pulled over to transmit live and learn more about the accident. I spoke briefly with the driver of the Mustang who did not want to be named and he said that as he was turning right into traffic the Hyundai smashed into him.
After this accident Ormsby shared some of the accidents he had documented.
April 15th, 2021
Ormsby saw the transmission and shared photos of a truck that had been totaled the week before.
Photos courtesy of William James Ormsby.
September, 2020
Ormsby shared pictures of this accident and the details of what happened: “…the accident was at night. I believe they live in Twin Lakes South. When we were taking pictures, two young boys, about 12, came running from Twin Lakes to the crash site. They ran right to the couple and were crying… It seems to happen between 21st and 15th ave the most”.
Photos courtesy of William James Ormsby.
June 24, 2021 Hit and Run
“It appears to be a hit and run this time. The one who took off went into Twin Lakes South”, Ormsby detailed.
Photos courtesy of William James Ormsby.
August 21, 2021 - Fatal Accident
Last night, at 11:15 PM, Ormsby and his husband heard a crash on Prospect Road from their bedroom. They walked down to see what happened and could see that a black BMW and a smaller car had collided. The smaller car caught fire. The driver of the BMW was able to exit his car through the passenger side and was eventually attended to by Oakland Park Fire Rescue.
Photos courtesy of William James Ormsby.
Growing Concern
Last night’s accident was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It is clear Prospect Road is far from the idyllic road it appears to be during some times of the day and that, in addition to a reduced speed limit, more measures are needed to stop the accidents from happening.
Residents of the area often report the concerns they have over the speeding and the accidents on Prospect Road. In response, BSO has, at times, set up speeding enforcement along the road which deters speeding for some time, but is not a permanent solution. It is clear to residents in the area that other more permanent solution are needed in order to prevent more accidents and more so to prevent fatalities.
Help Stop the Speeding and Prevent the Accidents!
If you are a resident in the area and would like to see changes so that Prospect Road is a safer place for all of us to drive, please fill out the form below.
*Your information will only be used to contact you regarding measures for Prospect Road unless you expressly give us permission to use it otherwise.
