MILWAUKEE — Almost three years to the day since Jamie Hanson was killed by a hit-and-run driver on S Howell Ave in Bay View, her memorial was destroyed by an errant driver who came to a rest on top of it after crashing into a neighbor’s house.
As reported by Shaun Gallagher of TMJ4, the Bay View driver curved while driving southbound on Howell and lost control of their car, crashing into the residence and memorial on Dec. 26, 2022.
The Milwaukee Police Department was never able to locate or arrest the driver who killed Hanson. Now weeks removed from the second crash, Milwaukee police have not made any arrests linked to the second crash, bringing a familiar feeling of discontent in the Bay View neighborhood.
“It’s going to happen again. We were waiting for it to happen,” Roberta Mowrey, a resident of this Bay View block, told TMJ4. “Maybe it’s a sign or something that ‘Hey, something needs to really be done.’”
EXPERT ANALYSIS: Juvenile shootings reported across Wisconsin — who’s to blame?
Metrics from the Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety (TOPS) Laboratory show that 37 crashes have been reported on this curved quarter-mile stretch of S Howell Ave in Bay View since 2013. The stretch ranges from E. Deer Pl and E. Montana St.
In the wake of Hanson’s death, city officials lowered the speed limit from 30 MPH to 25 MPH, narrowed traffic lanes and increased visibility. Even so, Mowrey doesn’t believe these updates have made a difference in the safety of this stretch.
“Signs don’t stop people,” Mowrey said. “Lines don’t stop people. Can you see the lines in the winter with the snow? No, you can’t. There’s something about this hill.
TOP HEADLINES FROM THE WTMJ NEWS STAFF:
- Governor Evers bans TikTok, other cybersecurity threats on state devices
- Mandarin duck spotted along Lake Michigan shoreline is ‘king of the ducks’
- Milwaukee Crime Report 2022: Homicides up 11% despite overall crime drop
- Body camera footage denied release in DeShaunte Adams case, lawsuit pending
- Giannis Antetokoumpo closing in on Kevin Durant for NBA All-Star captain duties
WAN EXCLUSIVE: Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell talks strategy, family & recruiting + 4-star WR commits to Badgers
