The six lanes of Singleton Boulevard appeared clear of traffic when Maricela Mendoza eased into the intersection, heading to taekwondo practice with her four children.

The black Nissan Sentra seemed to come out of nowhere that afternoon in March 2016 and smashed into Mendoza's red Dodge Stratus. Sparks flashed, and both cars spun around.

Other drivers stopped to help. They could see the three bodies of Mendoza's youngest children in the back seat.

Xavier Taylor (Dallas County jail )

Dallas police say speeding has long been a problem on that stretch of road, and Xavier Taylor was driving 98 mph in the Nissan moments before the fatal crash, police records show.

Taylor, 24, is on trial this week, facing three counts of felony manslaughter.

Prosecutors rested their case against Taylor on Friday. The defense will begin presenting its case Monday.

The crash occurred around 5:25 p.m. March 28, 2016. Mendoza braked at a stop sign on Peoria Avenue before trying to turn left.

Taylor was driving west on Singleton when the Nissan crashed into the rear driver's side of the Dodge.

In a police interview at the hospital after the crash, Taylor said "a red sedan pulled in front of me" and said he was driving 45 or 50 mph. He said the other driver should "use better judgment."

The impact killed Pamela Maritza Mendoza, 11, Bryan Alexander Mendoza, 7, and Lizbeth Edith Mendoza, 3.

Lizbeth, Pamela and Bryan Mendoza (Courtesy of the family )

Their older sister, 14-year-old Dulce Mendoza, remembers closing her eyes, wanting to rest a bit before testing for her next belt at taekwondo.

And then it happened.

"I just heard my mom scream," Dulce testified this week.

She remembers the car spinning and then extreme pressure on her body.

"I couldn't breathe," she said.

Once the car stopped, she turned around to see her brother and sisters. She touched Pamela and knew her little sister was dead.

Dulce was rushed to the hospital, and her mother was also injured. Taylor had a broken ankle.

Surveillance footage from a nearby business captured the crash. Several people in the courtroom gasped when the video footage showed the black car smash into the red one, sparks flying.

Dallas police officers blamed Taylor's speed. He was driving as fast as 98 mph and hit the brakes 1.5 seconds before the crash, records show. The posted speed limit is 35 mph.

Several other drivers told police they had seen a black car speeding and weaving in and out of traffic on Singleton before the crash.

Michelle Sharpe Anderson testified that she looked in her rearview mirror to see if a police officer was chasing the black car. She said she couldn't understand why he was driving so fast.

"I've never seen anyone drive that fast on Singleton or any residential street," Anderson said. "I thought, 'Oh, my God. He's driving so fast he's going to kill someone.'"

Donna Montez stopped to try to help. She could hear Dulce screaming, and Mendoza was "dazed."

Then she looked in the back seat and first saw Bryan.

"He was there squashed," she said.

Then she saw Pamela. "Her body was twisted," she said.

Several jurors dabbed their eyes when prosecutor Jennifer Balido showed them a photo of the wreckage. Each sibling was wearing a seat belt — as they did every day — and the youngest was strapped into a child seat.

A stoplight was installed at the intersection of Singleton and Weisenberger Drive, near where the crash occurred. And drivers can no longer turn left from Peoria onto Singleton.

The children were three of 155 traffic fatalities in Dallas last year.

Taylor was arrested about a week after the crash. He remains in the Dallas County Jail in lieu of $300,000 bail. He is also held on outstanding traffic tickets.