COLUMBUS, Ohio - As friends and family mourn the loss of Lillie Reed, who died in a car crash on Saturday, the crash has many taking a look at that stretch of road in the Linden neighborhood.
Drivers travel right by a memorial at 12th Avenue and Cleveland Avenue where the 7-year-old was killed. That crash is still under investigation. The tragedy has many questioning the safety of the stretch of road.
“Speeding, a lot of speeding. A lot of cutting off people,” said Whitney Tucker. Mom of two, Tucker, tries to avoid the busy road.
According to the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, the intersection at Cleveland Avenue and Innis Road has the 10th most accidents in the region. There are several other intersections along the Cleveland Avenue stretch in the top 100.
“Cleveland Avenue is basically a highway right now. I'm sure these people are going 50 miles per hour down the road,” said John Lathram, the chairman of the North Linden Area Commission.
Lathram said the group is working with the city and other partners to try and cut down on accidents in the area. According to Columbus police, there were more than 900 crashes from Cleveland Avenue at Innis Road to Cleveland Avenue and 12th Avenue last year.
“I just want people to realize we need to slow down. There are kids on the street, there are schools in the neighborhood. It's getting ready to be summer and these kids are going to be out on the street,” Lathram said.