The grieving family of two fathers killed in a tragic crash in Far North Dallas is speaking out, as support from across the country pours in and renews concerns about safety at a busy intersection near Coit and Frankford. Â
Chad Smith and Sam Arlia were Sam Pack’s brothers-in-law. The last week has been incredibly hard.
“It’s devastating,” said Pack. “It’s a heavy, unimaginable blow to everyone. But to, specifically, my sisters and their families.”
Both men were in DFW for a work conference, walking near Coit and Frankford in Far North Dallas around 6 p.m. on Feb. 6, when witnesses say they were struck by a car that had just been involved in an accident with another car and had veered off the road.
“I still don’t believe it,” Pack said. “It’s like a crazy, awful dream.”
Witness Lilly Hale said she knew immediately that a bad accident had occurred.
“Just a normal day and then all of a sudden I heard a sound,” said Hale. “I did call 911 and let them know I’d seen an accident of some sort.”
Hale says she drives in the Coit-Frankford area a lot and has had concerns about the safety of this specific intersection for some time.
“I would like to see a safety study be done by the City of Dallas regarding this intersection at Coit and Frankford because it is quite an intersection where it has a lot of accidents, and unfortunately, this was just a really terrible accident where pedestrians were killed,” said Hale.
She and those who work nearby worry about UT Dallas students who walk frequently in the area.
“In the past three months, I’ve seen multiple light runners,” said Blake Bowman, who works in the area. “It’s not a very safe intersection right here. You have two ways of traffic, and it’s always clustered because you have people coming from everywhere.”
Dallas police say they’re investigating but had no additional updates Wednesday.
Pack says Chad Smith and his wife, Annette, were married for 25 years and raised three kids in Colorado. He was a musician. Sam Arlia and his wife, Cindy, were also married for 25 years and raised four kids in New Jersey. He worked in the audio and video industry. Both had a strong faith.
“The Lord has been with us every step of the way,” said Pack.
So far, more than $80,000 has been donated to the family through an online fundraiser.
“We are so grateful,” Pack said. “We can’t thank you enough.”
He says this reflects just how loved the two men were.
More from CBS News