Residents of Springfield, Ohio, claim that an influx of Haitian migrants has turned their city into a “combat zone” due to reckless driving, reportedly stemming from the migrants’ unfamiliarity with U.S. road laws. Locals say there are “eight to ten” accidents daily as a result of this issue.
Approximately 20,000 Haitian migrants have settled in Springfield, a city of around 60,000 people, in recent years. This has come at a significant cost to the community, with some residents even losing their lives in accidents involving these new arrivals.
Longtime residents told the New York Post that many migrants are obtaining driving permits without properly learning U.S. road laws or even how to drive. “There must be eight to 10 accidents a day here,” one resident remarked. “I’ve seen cars drive into buildings and onto sidewalks. I believe everyone deserves help, but we shouldn’t be providing cars and licenses until people know how to drive safely here.”
Tragedy struck in December when 71-year-old Springfield resident Kathy Heaton was killed by a Haitian driver while collecting garbage cans on her street. According to police reports, the force of the collision was so severe that it flung Kathy’s body across the road, leaving her socks on the pavement. The driver, 38-year-old Robenon Louis, had expired license plates but faced no prosecution. Kathy’s family was left devastated. “They didn’t feel that it was anything prosecutable,” her daughter-in-law Mandy said.
Residents have shared alarming footage of cars crashing into homes and businesses, running off the road into ditches, and flying into oncoming traffic. Mandy, who is raising young twins, says she feels “stressed and anxious” about driving in Springfield, describing Haitian drivers going the wrong way down one-way streets, making illegal U-turns, and damaging property. “They’re given licenses with minimal education and training on our laws,” she added.
In response to the growing concern, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that he would deploy additional State Highway Patrol troopers to help manage the situation, along with $2.5 million in aid to address the crisis.
In another tragic incident, 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed in August 2023 after a Haitian driver, who did not have a license, caused a school bus accident. At least 20 other students were hospitalized.