Local residents are demanding safety improvements to a dangerous intersection in Riverside county following a crash that left an 8-year-old boy dead earlier this week.

Home security video obtained by KTLA showed the driver of a white Honda sedan apparently losing control and veering into the path of a gray Nissan sedan at Arlington and Stover Avenues. 

Four people in the Nissan, a female adult and three juveniles were rushed to a hospital with injuries ranging from critical to serious, a spokesperson for Riverside Police said. An eight-year-old boy later succumbed to his injuries.

A family friend says their mom is being forced to go between hospital rooms while also grieving her 8-year-old son. 

Residents in the area say excessive speeding is an ongoing problem on that stretch of Arlington Avenue and are fighting for more traffic signals. 

Arelio Munoz Junior, also known as Junior, who would have been 38 years old this year, was killed at the same intersection three years earlier. His mom, Joaquina Reyes, says he was the sweetest son and had special needs. 

“It’s been very difficult without him, my son was a special man, he was always with me,” she said. 

Reyes says that she and her son were driving near their home on Arlington Avenue in Riverside when a driver appeared around a curve while speeding and crossed into the opposite lane, hitting them head-on. She says after the crash, her son was responding and neighbors had to help pull him out of the car. 

Doctors later amputated Junior’s legs, but after more than a dozen surgeries, he died in January 2020. 

“I get very sad that the city has not done anything to fix that street,” said Reyes. “I hope that more people drive safely through that area.” 

Reyes says she chooses not to drive through that area anymore because it reminds her of the heartbreaking tragedy of losing her son. 

A spokesperson from the City of Riverside told KTLA that they have approved a traffic signal for the intersection, but it will not be installed until October. Residents are fighting to get improvements installed sooner and will be having a community meeting to discuss potential changes in the coming weeks.