The crash on Southern Boulevard Thursday that killed two Palm Beach Sheriff's Office deputies, and left one in the hospital fighting for his life, is exposing the habits of drivers on the road.
"What do you see when you drive through here?" WPTV's Joel Lopez asked George Tassy.
"Persons going 50, 70, or 80 [miles per hour]," said Tassy. "Southern is pretty busy the majority of the day."
PBSO confirmed the deputies involved in the collision were doing traffic enforcement when the crash happened.
Region C Palm Beach County
Will charges be filed in fatal deputy crash? What FHP told WPTV
WPTV crews drove through the five-mile stretch of Southern Blvd. between the 20-Mile Bend and Lion Country Safari at the 55 mph speed limit, and had multiple cars pass by.
"I see a lot of people driving really fast, more than 80," said driver Javier Bascual.
Speed isn't the only concern drivers have when they commute though Southern.
"There's people are always on their phone or looking down or distracted or tired," said driver Arielle Harvey.
Friday morning, PBSO's Dive Team was in the water continuing the investigation, once again shutting down portions of Southern Blvd., once again creating lines of traffic.
"I'm going to work, now I'm stuck in all this traffic," said Angela Moody, who was driving from Belle Glade to her job in West Palm Beach.
Crews cleared out from the scene by Friday evening, opening all lanes to traffic.
But people who live in the Arden community said recent events are exposing the safety issues for residents.
"We've had a lot of growth, but we've also had three incidents now since I've been here where the traffic has stopped all together cause the roads are blocked and we can't enter or exit," said Raymond Penuela.
He's lived in Arden for a year-and-a-half and said he was at an event at his son's elementary school when the crash happened.
"I made the decision to just stay out because I knew that I wasn't going to be able to come back out and pick my kids up from school," said Penuela.
He said neighbors were blocked from going to work Thursday because of the crash.
"There are a lot of essential workers that live in Arden and they can't leave," said Penuela. "Some people are pregnant, I'm very concerned that they can't get out in case of an emergency or have someone come in soon enough. It's just very concerning."
Penuela and other residents are pushing for an extension to Okeechobee Boulevard that would reach the north end of the Arden community and serve as an alternate route when traffic on Southern shuts down.
"This is not about convenience, this is about safety," said Penuela. "We desperately would love to see a solution to this."
