BILLINGS — Residents at a North Side apartment complex are pleading with drivers to slow down after a high-speed crash just feet outside their building early Saturday left two vehicles totaled and several others with minor damage.
Watch residents describe the early-morning crash in the video below:
The sounds of heavy traffic are usual for Sixth Avenue North, but it was something bigger that woke up resident Kailynn Marshall.
"I heard just this loud bang, and it scared me," said Marshall. "I almost fell out of bed."
The crash occurred around 2:30 a.m. near the intersection of Sixth Avenue North and North 22nd Street. According to Marshall, a driver was speeding down Sixth when they slammed into a parked car, sending the vehicle into a line of others along the road right outside her door.
“There was two vehicles that were smashed. They both were totaled, and one of them was just feet away from the building,” said Marshall.
Marshall said she rushed outside and saw one overturned, before noticing that the driver had fled the scene on foot.
"I went and chased him and called the cops," said Marshall. “It was crazy. (The driver's vehicle) was facing the opposite direction ... You never think it's going to happen by your house and then it does, and it's scary.”
A.J. Brickel, another tenant, also ran outside after hearing the impact and feared for the worst.
“There was fuel leaking everywhere, there was oil everywhere, it was chaos," described Brickel. “I thought, honestly, somebody was dead because, like, seeing a wreck like that, and usually people don't walk away from stuff like that.”
In all, five vehicles were damaged, including the initial impact vehicle and three others that sustained bumper damage. Marshall said she was unsure if the driver had been located as of Sunday morning.
Both Brickel and Marshall said this kind of reckless behavior is not new to the area.
“Speeding, reckless driving, people not stopping at stop signs, and just rolling right through. Nighttime is even worse," said Marshall. "Honestly, it's kind of annoying.”
These are all sights they see and hear daily. With children, pets, and people on the sidewalks, it has also created an added concern.
"With the homeless community and stuff, what if somebody would have been standing here taking a nap here? What if some kids would’ve snuck out and ended up getting hit by the vehicle?" said Brickel. "I know I got a five-year-old daughter that I worry about just walking with her mom to school.”
The crash adds to a string of recent incidents in Billings last month, including a vehicle that crashed into a house on Wicks Lane and a fiery police pursuit crash on South Billings Boulevard. Both were serious but non-fatal.
While Marshall is not confident that actions will change, she said she's tired of close calls and wants drivers to consider the impact of their actions.
"If you get into an accident like that, stop and take accountabilities of your own actions. Don't run,” said Marshall.
Marshall and Brickel hope others will slow down and take their message to heart before another crash happens.
“Just go with the flow of traffic. Don't try to pass anybody. Don't try to prove yourself,” said Brickel.
“Drive safe," added Marshall. "It's not worth the extra 10 seconds you're going to save to get to where you're going.”
