According to a city spokesman, there have been 28 other wrecks in the past year along this main thoroughfare. ABC11 has learned that 19 of those crashes happened at either Rosehill Road's intersections with Country Club Drive or Ramsey Street. It's unclear exactly where the nine others occurred. None of those was fatal.
"This is not the first set of balloons that have been tied up here," said Fayetteville resident Brandon Berry. "I get a chill riding down here."
Berry doesn't live far from the scene of the car crash. He wiped tears from his eyes as he visited the growing memorial on his way to work. The 40-year-old didn't know the victims, but he is devastated at this loss.
"Their futures looked real promising. When I saw him, they had a lot of talent. I never got to play football. When I saw them, I said, look at them. They were doing something I wanted to do," he said.
Rosehill Road is a city-maintained thoroughfare, and the speed limit here is 45 mph. Mayor Mitch Colvin told ABC11 that the city has launched an investigation, as many community members have expressed concerns.
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"We're going to look and have our professional engineering team take a look at any safety measures we can do to increase safety," said Colvin.
ABC11 was at the scene as residents, with heavy hearts, paid their respects to the victims by dropping off flowers and balloons. The three victims, Trevor Merritt, 17, Nicholas Williams, 17, and Jai-hyon Elliott, 18, were all football players at E.E. Smith High School.
Tiffany Blevins missed work to bring her 16-year-old daughter, Janiya, to the crash site to honor her friend.
"Jai-hyon Elliott was an inspiration to my daughter. He was very positive and always encouraging. They talked every day on FaceTime on the phone," she said. "They always had something to giggle and laugh about."
District 3 City Councilman Mario Benavente represents the community where the crash happened. He is also a member of the E.E. Smith Golden Bull Alumni Association. He told ABC11 that alumni are rallying around the victim's families.
"I know at the homecoming game coming up on Oct. 31st, I talked with the principal, and that game will still occur. Any merchandise that will be sold there, 100% of the proceeds will be made available to the families," he said.
The driver of the car, Dymond Monroe, is an Army veteran, a 2022 Smith graduate, and the mother of a 7-month-old girl. She remains in critical condition at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill.
The Fayetteville Police Department still hasn't determined whether speed was a factor in this crash.