4-year-old hit by car in Sans Souci, represents concerns for pedestrian safety

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a 4-year-old was struck by a car on Barnes Road in Sans Souci Wednesday morning and is now in serious condition.

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According to police, the child was with their mother in the parking lot of Heather Ridge Apartments. Witnesses told Action News Jax she had her baby in her hands when the boy ran into Barnes Road.

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“Everybody jumped out of cars. All the cars stopped. Everybody ran over. It was scary,” Josolino Durham, a neighbor, said. “It’s sad. I just hope he makes it because he got hit pretty hard.”

JSO said it happened while a nearby school zone was active, but the crash was not related to the school zone. Officers also said speed did not appear to be a factor after they reviewed surveillance video that captured the crash.

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“It’s sad. It’s scary. I have a 4-year-old. I can’t even imagine. So that’s going to make me watch him even closer. Because he’s a child. Kids wander off. That’s why you have to pay attention,” Durham said.

According to the Department of Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, pedestrian crashes have continued to rise in Duval over the past few years from 405 in 2020, to 492 in 2021, to 527 last year. So far this year there have been 306.

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The same upward trend goes for kids, according to FLHSMV. 1272 pedestrians who are 17 years and younger were hit by cars statewide in 2020. That number jumped to 1881 last year.

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