Teens recovering after crash at 'dangerous' intersection near Nease High School

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Two teenage girls are recovering after a serious crash near Nease High School on Monday afternoon.

Mackenzie Felmet, 17, her sister Sydney, 15, ​were leaving Nease High School when their Toyota Corolla was T-boned by another car.

Troopers said Mackenzie failed to yield to a Hyundai Santa Fe that had the right of way on U.S. 1 near Ray Road.

Photos: Teens critically hurt in crash near Nease High

Mackenzie and her sister were airlifted to hospitals after the crash.

A Gofundme page for the Felmet family said Sydney was released from the hospital after spending the night at UF Health for a head injury.

Mackenzie has several broken bones and a long recovery ahead of her, the page says.

The driver of the Santa Fe was seriously injured and debris from the crash hit a Jeep Wrangler with two teens inside. The teens and driver of the Jeep were not injured.

Parents of students at Nease High said they have had concerns about the intersection for quite some time.

Several petitions have been created online calling for a light at the intersection.

One has more than 1,500 signatures while a second has nearly 1,000.

"Nease is a great school but it's dangerous to get in and out of," Deborah Pappas, a parent of two Nease High students, said.

Florida Highway Patrol told Action News Jax there have been six crashes at the intersection in the last year.

Half of the crashes involved injuries.

A spokesperson for the St. Johns County school district said officers are directing traffic when school starts and lets out.

An Action News Jax crew saw officers directing traffic until 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday.

Pappas said her daughter was with Mackenzie minutes before the crash.

She said students tend to wait around in the parking lot because of the congestion.

Nease High grad petitions for traffic light after teens critically injured in crash

"They hang out a little bit, - chat hang with each other - and then they leave," Pappas said. "Unfortunately, the patrol is gone by that time."

The speed limit of 55 miles per hour on the road decreases to 45 mph before and after school.

Our crew saw drivers going well over 60 mph after school.

"How many more kids have to be injured out here before they do something about it?" Pappas said. "I know that they're aware that it needs to happen, but they need to hear the voice of the parents because were concerned every day."

Pappas said she signed the petition circulating on Facebook.

FDOT told Action News Jax they have plans to install a traffic light in 2017 but parents said that's not soon enough.

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Cox Media Group