On a quiet Tuesday evening in San Antonio’s East Side neighborhood, 70-year-old Janice Walker was sitting on her front porch when a speeding car came crashing through her home—and eventually, through the life of a woman known for caring for her mother and her community.
It was about 10:55 p.m. when a black Mercedes sedan barreled down the 100 block of DaFoste Avenue, lost control on a sharply angled 90-degree curve and leapt the curb. The vehicle struck Walker as she sat outside her home, crashed into the front of the residence, and left her with fatal injuries. Despite being rushed to the hospital, she later died.
Witness accounts paint a horrifying scene. Neighbor Marie Rose recalled the car “flew up like a plane” as it failed to turn and slammed into the house, impaling Walker in the door frame. She describes hearing Walker call for help as her father attempted to free her from beneath the wreckage.
As first-responders arrived, the driver of the car had already fled on foot from the scene. Despite attempts by Rose to stop him, he ran, leaving Walker behind. Police say the individual, once caught, will face a “collision involving death” charge.
In the midst of grief and investigation, the neighborhood is also asking why safety measures at that curve appear lacking. Official records show no warning sign existed for the sharp turn and that the hedges and fence that once stood as a buffer in Walker’s yard were removed in 2023 during sidewalk construction—and never replaced. In fact, Walker’s property had previously been struck in two earlier incidents: once in 2019 and again in 2024.
City officials with the San Antonio Police Department and the Public Works Department have confirmed that excessive speed appears to be the primary cause of the crash and that an assessment of “traffic-calming measures” will begin on DaFoste Avenue. Proposed changes include speed bumps, flashing signs or stronger barriers at the curve.
Meanwhile, Foxed by the loss and motivated to protect others, Walker’s family is struggling—not just with a hole in their hearts, but with a question of preventability. Niece Anntwanette Hamilton said her aunt was a caregiver, a nurturer, someone who sat on that porch most evenings. They now believe that the removed fencing and hedges could have stopped, or at least mitigated, this deadly intrusion.
No one has been arrested yet, and the investigation continues. Police are urging anyone who saw a Mercedes sedan near the area around the time of the crash, or noted a driver fleeing on foot, to contact the San Antonio Police Department. For Walker’s community, though, Sunday porches will never look quite the same—and the hope remains that this tragedy will prompt change before another life is lost.
The post Speeding Car, Sharp Curve and a Quiet Porch: 70-Year-Old San Antonio Woman Killed Moments from Home appeared first on Tripplenews.
