‘I was crying in my car': Neighbors urge drivers to slow down after fatal crash in Pembroke Pines

There was a tragedy on Valentine’s Day when a crash killed one person in Pembroke Pines and sent at least three other people to the hospital. Now, neighbors who have been involved in crashes at the same intersection are urging other drivers to slow down.

Pembroke Pines Police said speed was a factor in the two-car crash that happened Friday night, just before 7 p.m., on Dykes Road and Northwest 12th Street.

According to neighbors, it’s common for drivers in the area to go past the speed limit.”

“I was crying in my car," Gabriela Martins said. "My son was, 'Mom, what's going on?'”

Martins on Friday was driving on Dykes Road as she usually does to get home.

“I saw the smoke coming off of the car and then people starting coming out of the cars,” she said.

Authorities said one person died on scene and at least three people were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.

For Martins, the crash took her back to a personal matter.

“The accident was pretty much the same overspeed in traffic light,” she said.

This upcoming week will be the 12th anniversary of her cousin's death, who also tragically died in a car crash at the age of 18, just a mile away from this one.

Just two years ago, Harold Milien was on the same road, when he told NBC6 he was in an accident of his own.

"I’m still recovering from that accident to this day, so my back will never be the same,” he said.

With a herniated disk, Milien could barely walk.

“The lady’s car blew up in flames as soon as she hit me,” he said.

Milien said he couldn’t work for seven months, and just down the block, he told NBC6 that his mother was involved in a separate crash.

“My mom had an accident like right when you get to Towngate, she was about to turn in and the other car swerved and hit her,” he said.

Milien, like Martins, said they take driving seriously and hope others do the same.

Neighbors are urging drivers to be extra careful when driving on the road, especially since the area is mostly residential.