Driver crashes into NW Miami-Dade home in newly released surveillance video as neighbors demand traffic safety changes
New surveillance video is shedding new light on a deadly crash that slammed into a Northwest Miami-Dade home last month, reigniting concerns from neighbors who say speeding on the street has become a persistent danger.
Homeowner Carlos Tapanes said his security cameras captured the violent crash on April 26, when a vehicle barreled into his property and struck cars parked in his yard. While he had previously seen parts of the incident, he said he only recently received the full footage from his insurance adjuster.
"You don't wanna see that. Not in your house or your neighborhood," Tapanes told CBS News Miami.
Neighbors say the crash is not an isolated incident. One nearby resident shared photos with CBS News Miami showing a separate wreck from a few years ago in which a truck overturned into a yard nearby.
Tapanes believes traffic lights, speed bumps or other traffic calming measures could help prevent another crash.
CBS News Miami brought those concerns to the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation, which forwarded the inquiry to the Florida Department of Transportation. CBS News Miami has reached out to FDOT for comment but has not yet received a response.
Tapanes said speeding remains a daily concern in the neighborhood. Surveillance cameras outside his home captured another vehicle accelerating down the street just days after the crash, and additional footage from last weekend showed cars revving their engines around 2 a.m.
"You tense up. You start to think, 'I hope nothing happens,'" Tapanes said.
Damage from the crash, including skid marks and debris, remained outside the home for weeks. Tapanes said he has since gathered the debris for pickup, hoping it will help bring some closure.
"It will be kind of like something that will be off your shoulders. You can move on," he said.
Still, Tapanes said he does not want to wait for government action before taking precautions himself. He has started positioning vehicles in his driveway in hopes that, if another car veers off the road, it will hit the parked cars instead of crashing directly into his home.