St. Johns County man hit, killed on SR 16 struggled with mental illness, friend says

A 48-year-old St. Augustine man was killed Wednesday after he was hit by two cars on SR 16 at 1st St. North.

Troopers said 48 year-old Mark Burger was standing in a right eastbound lane of SR 16 just before 2 a.m. when he was hit by a Toyota Solara.

Photos: Pedestrian hit by two cars in St. Augustine dies

Burger’s roommate and close friend Lisa Laughlin told Action News Jax Burger was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was recently having a hard time managing it.

Laughlin said she is heartbroken he died. She thinks he took a walk after not being able to sleep early Wednesday morning.

“He was loving, gentle and he was a brilliant chef,” Laughlin said.

Laughlin said Burger wasn’t taking all of his bipolar medication because he couldn’t afford it. She said his disability benefits were recently cut off and that took a toll on him.

“Yesterday we made a plan," she said. "That I would get as much of his meds as I could afford to pick up, so it was mostly just his meds that help him sleep at night. But apparently it wasn’t enough."

Laughlin said they had plans to run some errands Thursday to help him get back on track. Instead, she’ll be remembering her longtime friend and the good times they shared.

Cox Media Group