MILWAUKEE — Surveillance video shows just how fast a driver sped through a red light at 35th and Lisbon, crashing into a car that struck and killed Yolanda Baxter, 39. Her aunt tells TMJ4 Yolanda was loved dearly and should still be here.
Just before that crash early Tuesday, Baxter stopped at The Key Spot on 35th, to buy a juice and snack. It was a daily ritual for her. She lived a few blocks away.
The owner of the convenience store, Meak Key, feared it would come to this.
“I’m sad to say I knew it was eventually going to happen, just because of how dangerous this corner is,” Key said. “And if something is not done, it won't be the last time someone loses their life here.”
Key says he witnesses reckless driving and close calls at this intersection every day. He warns his customers not to stand outside the store, even though it is a bus stop.
“I try to tell them to keep it moving, or to go stand on the other side of the building, because the drivers out here are so dangerous,” Key said.
According to Milwaukee Police, in just the past five months, there have been at least eight crashes within 100 feet of 35th and Lisbon.
“It’s the speeding and disregard for traffic laws and traffic lights,” Key said
Just three days earlier, and three miles away, Gerald Newton, 72, was killed while standing at the corner of 20th and Burleigh.
Fred Fojut considered Newton family. Fojut opened his home to Newton nearly 10 years ago.
“He was a retired Vietnam veteran who went through some tough times,” Fojut said. “He was always willing to help friends and family out. He was also a big movie buff. He loved movies. He was just a good guy. It is so sad his life ended in this way. My family is taking it one day at a time.”
Surveillance video shows the moment a driver sped through a red light and crashed into another vehicle. The impact sent the car driven by the reckless driver into Newton.
Surveillance video of the 20th and Burleigh crash:
“It's horrible,” Fojut said. “People really, really, really need to slow down. It is very unsafe on these roads. I am a professional bus driver. I drive kids every day. I see dangerous driving every day, and we are coming up on summer, when more people are going to be walking and playing outside.”
We reached out to see if the reckless drivers in these cases have been charged. Milwaukee Police and the Milwaukee County District Attorney do not have any updates on charges as of Wednesday.
The other people involved in each crash are expected to make full recoveries.
