Photo courtesy of Hannah Mazariegos

A man was injured after a speeding minivan crashed into the house where he was sleeping on Clinton at 12th Street Tuesday.

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The accident, at about 3 a.m. May 17, indicates that more safety is needed on the 1-mile stretch of 12th that has been a vortex of vehicular tragedies for decades.

Mayor Pro-Tem Chad West is enlisting a task force to find solutions to dangerous traffic flow through the corridor.

Jony and Sarah Jimenez have two children ages 1 and 2, who were home at the time of the crash but not injured. Jony was out of town on business, and Sarah’s two siblings, Hannah Mazariegos and Matthew Mazariegos, were sleeping over to help with the kids.

Hannah Mazariegos posted the following to social media:

At 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning a vehicle crashed into the home of Sarah and Jony Jimenez on Clinton Avenue. Their two babies were also inside of the house when it occurred. It breaks my heart to think about anything happening to them. The driver must have been going around 80 miles per hour or faster down 12th Street. He drove through the home and hit my brother, Matthew, who was sleeping on the couch throwing him 20 feet toward the kitchen. Matthew was taken to the emergency room. In the end, we are so blessed to say that everyone in the house is safe with no major injuries.

The Jimenezes have lived in their house for seven years, and they say dangerous traffic is common.

“At night we hear cars speeding, so many crashes,” Sarah Jimenez says. “People just speed through all night.”

Photo courtesy of Sarah Jimenez

Dramatic car crashes in 2018 led neighbors near 12th Street to ask, “Does somebody have to die?”

After that, the street was re-striped from four lanes to two with a painted median, and in some places, a painted shoulder. Radar signs that show drivers their speed were also added. The Dallas Police Department began patrolling heavily and ticketing speeders.

But a report from the City of Dallas shows there have been 81 vehicular collisions on 12th Street after those measures were taken, between January 2019-April 2022.

The data, which West provided, shows that 49 of those crashes resulted in property damage. Two resulted in severe injuries, 13 in minor injuries, and another 17 possible injuries.

The corridor, “continues to be a problem for speeding and reckless driving behavior, placing pedestrians, children, motorists, and homeowners at risk,” West wrote in an email.

DPD has committed to increasing patrol and speed enforcement on 12th Street, West says.

He is also enlisting a “small but mighty task force” to address short-term enforcement goals with DPS as well as long-term traffic calming.

The 12th Street Traffic Calming & Enforcement Task Force will consist of representatives from Greiner Middle School and three neighborhood associations: Sunset Hill South Winnetka Heights and Winnetka Heights.

The group will be tasked with holding community meetings to gather feedback and meeting with DPD and City of Dallas staff.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Jimenez

Aftermath

Matthew Mazariegos, 22, was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. The family is thankful no one was seriously injured, but their property damage is another story.

The minivan’s driver hit the foundation, and the house is not safe to enter. They know their homeowner’s insurance will pay for damages to their house. But it doesn’t cover medical bills, and they doubt the driver had auto insurance.

They paid for a hotel stay, and a friend who is out of town offered their place for a couple of nights. The Jimenezes are still waiting to find out what their insurance covers as far as temporary housing.

In the meantime, they expect to appear on Telemundo and KXAS news tonight to tell their story in hopes of prompting the City to find solutions.

The Jimenezes own a small business together, Neww Creative, and have lived in Oak Cliff for 10 years. Anyone can help them out on Zelle at sarahemaz@gmail.com or on CashApp at $Sarahmaz.