RACINE — A Racine resident is searching for answers after a hit-and-run driver pulling a trailer slammed into his mother's parked car on Taylor Avenue over the weekend.
Todd O'Keefe's mother parked her car on Taylor Avenue on Saturday night. Surveillance video from where O'Keefe lives shows a vehicle pulling a trailer crash into the back of his mom's parked car at about 4 a.m. Sunday. The vehicle then drove away.
"The trailer made contact with the back of my mom's vehicle, and it kinda blew up into the sky," O'Keefe said. "You see it almost roll like a skateboard. There's sparks flying that way, there's sparks flying this way."
Another video shows the vehicle dragging the trailer up Taylor Avenue and turning right onto 16th Street. O'Keefe and his mother have filed a police report.
O'Keefe spent Monday morning gathering surveillance video from around the area, trying to identify the vehicle and locate the dragged trailer.
"That's been my goal, just to identify the vehicle, see where this trailer might've just been dragged to, because he didn't have a wheel on it," O'Keefe said.
Watch: Racine resident looking for answers in hit-and-run caught on camera on Taylor Avenue
This collision is part of a larger traffic issue in the area. Data from the state's Department of Transportation shows about eight crashes this year in a single block of Taylor Avenue, between the intersections of 16th Street and 17th Street.
Multiple residents along Taylor Avenue told TMJ4's Lauren Sklba that traffic is a safety issue where they live.
Just last week, two people were injured in a crash at the intersection of 16th and Taylor on April 7th when a vehicle made a left turn without yielding the right of way, according to the Racine Police Department. One person possibly broke their ankle and the other had a cut on their forehead, RPD said.
Last year, a collision at the same location killed 17-year-old TyReAna Scales and injured several others. Driver Salvador Coronado pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering safety in March and is scheduled to be sentenced for his role in the crash on May 29.
Racine Police tell me they monitor the area for speed and traffic enforcement, but it remains unclear what caused Sunday's collision involving the parked car.
Residents and workers said they believe changes could improve road safety. O'Keefe suggested adding speed bumps or a secondary signal coming in through 17th Street. A worker said he would like to see a turn signal added at 16th and Taylor to help prevent future collisions.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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