LAKELAND, Fla. — Some people living near Southeastern University in Lakeland say they are worried for their safety after a car plowed into their neighbor’s home on Monday, killing 24-year-old international student Yuri dos Santos Vasconcelos.
What You Need To Know
- Yuri dos Santos Vasconcelos, 24, was killed Monday after a car drove into the home he was staying in next to Southeastern University
- Neighbors say cars often speed on the street where the house is located, and say multiple incidents have occurred over the years
- According to Lakeland officials, Polk County is responsible for the roads, but said they've only seen two incidents recorded on the road where the crash happened
Despite living in Lakeland for six years, Jack Hornsby didn't have many great things to say about the people driving through his neighborhood.
“The traffic is terrible,” he said. “It’s (like) they have direct races out here at night.”
His wife has owned their house for nearly 20 years, and they both said that cars routinely speed on the roadway between their house and Southeastern University.
“Thirty miles an hour speed limit and nobody drives 30 miles an hour down the street,” Hornsby said.
He said speeding drivers has been a concern for them for a while, but was amplified this week when a car veered off the road and went straight into the house next door, killing Vasconcelos.
Hornsby said he was in his living room when it happened.
“I heard a big bomb, like a big bomb went off,” he said.
He said it was the last thing a person would want to hear while relaxing in the living room with their 18-year-old grandson in the other room. Hornsby said his wife ran outside and saw that not only was there a major accident, but someone was seriously hurt.
“They tried to give him CPR, but he already passed away,” Hornsby said.
He said that it’s the second time in the last two weeks that an incident has taken place in the area.
“There have been wrecks at that corner quite frequently,” said Hornsby.
Vasconcelos was from Brazil and was only supposed to be in Lakeland for the summer to play his second season with Lakeland United Football Club.
The director of the club, Tauan Salgado spoke with Bay News 9 over the phone and said Vasconcelos had come last year for the summer to play for his club and that he was going to school during the year in Alabama.
Salgado said Vasconcelos loved playing in Lakeland so much that he wanted to come back for another summer with the squad.
He said he got a call from Vasconcelos' friend on the day of the crash and still can’t believe what happened.
Hornsby said he believes that if nothing is done, Monday's crash won’t be the last one he sees outside his front door.
Bay News 9 reached out to the city of Lakeland and officials said that the road is operated by the county, so there’s nothing they can do. They said that based on the data they have access to, there have only been two incidents of record on this road — the one that killed Vasconcelos and the other incident that happened last week.
Hornsby says there have been more than that, though, and hopes something can be done.
As for Lakeland United, they are playing in their conference final on Tuesday.
According to Salgado, they’re most likely going to retire Vasconcelos' No. 7 and pay homage to him in some form at next week’s final.