TAMPA, Fla. — A vigil continues to grow outside the Bradleys' on 7th following Saturday's deadly crash that killed four people and injured many others. Now locals are calling for change, demanding safer streets in Ybor City.
This tragedy has rocked the city of Tampa.
"It was really scary. Like I wasn't sure if they made it," said Shane, a witness who was there the night the deadly crash happened.
WATCH: Ybor City residents demand safer streets after deadly crash kills 4 outside Bradley's on 7th
It will be a night Shane said he will never forget. He and his friends were outside on the patio at Bradley's on 7th when he decided to use the restroom. A decision that may have saved his life, because when he returned, chaos had erupted.
"The alarms were on, the music was off, and like they're trying to like keep us in the back of the club. And I got up to the window, and I see a car parked like where our table was, so I didn't know if my friends were okay," Shane said.
He said five of his friends were okay, but one wasn't.
The friend he invited to join in on the fun ended up in the hospital with a cut on his arm and a broken rib.
"He's doing okay, but he's probably shaken from what he went through. I think they're all a little bit traumatized, like nearly missing death," Shane said.
A feeling that has the community turning grief into love, with people dropping off flowers and candles outside of Bradley's.
"For something like this to happen in our neighborhood right in our, right in our front porch, it's just, it's tragic, it's truly tragic," said Desmond Mamudi, whose family owns New York New York Pizza, right next to Bradley's.
Even a local band came out to play a hymn in honor of the lives lost.
And like the music that fills these historic streets, the call for change grows even louder.
"We can't have people who are just out trying to have a good time and have their life at risk," said Marcus Demaiolo, an Ybor resident.
"I think we need to shut our streets at the caps. I think they need to go ahead and do that. This probably could have been avoided if they made these streets more walkable for the type of liveliness that there is," said Markus Jones, an Ybor resident.
Ybor businesses said during COVID, 7th Avenue was often closed to outdoor seating. Now, they said they want to see this return.
"We don't really know why they took it away. There's plenty of cops in Ybor to do that, so instead of kind of just hanging out in one spot, we should have more protection around," Mamudi said. "I think this place has enough innocent people in it to where they need to be protected. They're civilians, you know, and that's what the cops are there for. So I think they should block it off, so we can avoid stuff like this."
And, locals agree.
"These roads are hectic, and crowds congregate in multiple areas throughout 7th Avenue. So do I think there needs to be some reform? Absolutely. I don't know if that's more police presence or some sort of barricades to block off the road," Demaiolo said.
Those calls for action were echoed at Saturday's emotional vigil, where a woman boldly called out to Tampa City Council to protect people and create safer roads.
"We need action right now," she said.
Tampa City Council chairman Alan Clendenin responded to the community's cry for change.
"This is a sad period of time for the city of Tampa, and there's plenty of time to diagnose the good, the bad, and the ugly of what happened. Today's the time for us to remember the people that were killed last night, the people that are injured," Clendenin said.
While Bradley's on 7th had to shut down to clear the debris, it is now set to reopen Monday at 4 p.m.
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