Detroit neighborhood pushes for speed bumps after 8-year-old girl killed by speeding driver

' It was a very sad moment,' Deshara Hill said

DETROIT – Residents in a neighborhood on Detroit’s east side are demanding action.

The calls for action come just days after an 8-year-old girl was killed by a speeding car on Conner Street. Residents said they see drivers speeding down the street everyday and want the city to do something before another child is killed.

READ: 8-year-old killed by driver speeding on Conner Street in Detroit

“When I come outside, the scene is just replaying, from when I came out and saw it actually happening,” resident Deshara Hill said. “That’s all I see when I come outside.”

Hill said she saw Lauren Johnson, 8, lying on the ground and helpless.

“Her body was all just twisted, bones broken, it was a very sad moment,” Hill said.

Hill is pregnant and was getting ready to celebrate her baby shower when Lauren and her mother, who is Hill’s best friend, were hit by a speeding car on Sunday afternoon.

The crash happened right outside of Hill’s home.

“It was a young lady. She was only 16 years old, flying up the street, doing like 80 (miles per hour) up the street,” Hill said.

The neighborhood is demanding action.

“We need speed bumps and we’ve been needing speed bumps for years,” Hill said. “It’s a park down the street, so cars come flying up and down the street all day.”

Local 4 reporters saw a car speed down the street during a live report on Thursday. A car also sped down the street on Friday.

The city of Detroit released the following statement:

"Our hearts go out to young Lauren's family at this painful and difficult time. Speeding in neighborhoods has been a problem for many years and we have received thousands of requests for speed cushions since we began installing them two years ago. This year alone we are installing more than 1200 speed cushions at 800 locations and are evaluating this stretch of Conner for possible speed cushions in the near future. 

We hope that seeing the tragic consequences of driving recklessly in neighborhoods will move speeders to slow down and drive more responsibly.”

READ: More local news reports


About the Authors

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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