HAMILTON, Ohio — The Butler County Coroner's Office has released the identities of the three people killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Hamilton on Sunday.
According to the coroner, 35-year-old Milton Alvarez Lagos, 27-year-old Bety Salazar Lopez and 10-year-old Milton Salazar Alvarez died as a result of "multiple traumatic injuries."
Police first told us a crash involving three vehicles occurred at around 4:30 p.m. at the intersection of Hooven Avenue and River Road Sunday.
WATCH: Neighbors push for traffic safety solutions following deadly crash in Hamilton
According to a crash report, a driver traveling southbound on River Road in a maroon SUV went past the double yellow center line into the northbound lane, passing three vehicles. When the driver went back into the southbound lane, they hit a curb.
When the driver overcorrected, they once again went left of center, hitting a red sedan traveling northbound head-on. The driver of the red sedan went off the road, hitting a nearby garage and fence.
Meanwhile, the driver of the SUV continued to rotate, hitting a white truck head-on. According to the report, the speedometer of the SUV driver's car was stuck at 80 miles per hour at the time of the crash.
Do you have traffic concerns over this stretch of River Road? Have you been affected by crashes in the area? Share your story with me at connor.steffen@wcpo.com
The three people who died were all traveling inside the red sedan that was hit head-on before striking a garage and fence, according to the crash report.
The driver who traveled left of center, hitting their vehicle, was taken to UC West Chester with serious injuries. The driver of the third vehicle was not injured.
WATCH: A nearby home caught the crash on video
The Butler County Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team (START) and Hamilton Detectives are assisting with the investigation.
"I'm just at a loss. (It's) supposed to be a joyous time of the year, and there's really not a whole lot of joy right now," Tom Schindler, whose backyard shed was damaged by Sunday's crash, said. "Accidents are going to happen. I get that. But people should not be losing their lives like this on this road."
Schindler said the particular stretch of River Road on which the crash happened has been a problem spot for years, with drivers constantly speeding, leading to far too frequent crashes.
"(There were) five crashes in one day last year, when we had one of those snowfalls," he said.
Schindler's yard is littered with reminders of past crashes. A tree in his yard shows marks from where a car ran into it this past year. There's a dirt patch in his yard from where a different driver crashed and tore up the grass last winter. Then, there's a spot toward the back of his yard where a tree used to stand before a deadly crash in July 2011 forced him to tear it down.
"(The crash) actually killed the sycamore tree. That's when the three teenagers were killed. I was actually here, pressure washing the house," he said. "I'm afraid I'm gonna wake up one morning to a car in my house. I want (the city) to do something."
We took Schindler's concerns to Hamilton Vice Mayor Eric Pohlman, who said the city council will take a look at the matter in the new year. Until then, he shared this message with us for residents.
"Please just slow down, get to your destination. Enjoy your Christmas. Enjoy your holiday," Pohlman said. "Please feel free to call me or anybody on council, and we'll sit down and talk with you on it. I'm open to any idea."
When we returned to the scene on Monday, we saw a Hamilton police officer near it monitoring drivers' speeds, what appeared to be a newly-installed speed radar near River Road and Hooven Avenue and a digital sign reminding drivers to "slow down."
In an update after this story aired, Pohlman told us city officials plan to meet with neighbors, tentatively sometime in January.
