Brickell condo residents feel unsafe outside building due to constant car accidents

MIAMI — Residents of a condo in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood are upset after a crash outside the building that occurred over the weekend.

Read more Deerfield Beach commissioners consider legal action against BSO

Andrew Gillman is general manager of the Echo Brickell Condominium, located at 15th Street and Brickell Avenue.

“I was shocked that it came so close to hitting those girls,” he said of the latest incident.

Gillman said close calls like that crash on Saturday have been alarmingly common.

“This is the seventh or eighth time in the last four years,” he said.

Past incidents include an SUV rolling down the sidewalk in the middle of the night and another car careening and crashing into a palm tree.

Gillman says a scooter driver also lost control and was killed there several years ago.

“I don’t feel safe where I’m standing right now,” he said.

Neighbors are urging city leaders to evaluate the intersection and install barriers to protect pedestrians and the building.

Read more Former Heat radio voice David Halberstam dies, reports say

“We want to resolve this and not have anybody lose a life over this because it hasn’t been addressed,” said resident Michelle Pasko.

Darrin Gurksy is an attorney for the Brickell Condominium Association.

“We’ve offered to pay for bollards, we think that would resolve a lot of the issues based upon how this drive comes through over here, and that’s our hope,” he said. “We’ve reached out to the city before, previously, because we’ve had vehicles that have actually driven up our stairs before.”

Added Pasko: “We have cafes on both corners of our building. There’s mothers with baby carriages and people walking their pets.”

Miami commissioner Damian Pardo provided Local 10 News the following statement:

“Public safety is always our top priority. We received our first direct communication on this matter over the weekend and responded immediately. At this time, we are coordinating a meeting with the residents who reached out so we can better understand their concerns and discuss potential solutions.

“Any incident that puts pedestrians at risk is concerning, and we are grateful that no one was seriously injured in this crash. We take resident concerns seriously and will continue working with the appropriate city departments, law enforcement, and community stakeholders to evaluate conditions and identify any measures that may improve safety.”

Read more Google wants to flood South Florida with millions of mosquitoes ― but these fight disease