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Discount Seafood employee describes barely escaping crash

By Kristy Wolski

Coca-cola truck slams into a building, which had to be demolished.

By Kristy Wolski

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News spoke with a Discount Seafood employee who was inside the store when a delivery truck crashed through the building Wednesday.

Robert Jones tells us he was behind the store’s counter when the crash happened at the corner of W. Beaver Street and N. Myrtle Street.

“I heard a noise and the Coca-Cola truck was coming through the wall at me,” said Jones. “I had to run and luckily the seafood counter was there to stop the truck from running over me. Stuff was flying and hitting me.”

According to a crash report, obtained by Action News, the Coca-Cola driver told investigators a “wasp flew in the cab of his vehicle which caused him to lose control and crash.”

The investigator noted in the report he “noted that both windows were closed” on the semi.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the semi also hit a JTA bus before striking the building. Thursday Action News obtained a 911 call made from that bus.

“A semi just ran through a building on Beaver and Rushing and hit our JTA bus,” the caller said to the 911 operator. “We don’t know if the people are okay or what. Oh my God.”

Fortunately Jones was able to escape the building.

“I remember that, them hollering about a real bad gas leak,” he said. “And I kinda slid out of the back door and sat down outside out back door before the firemen and rescue people got me from there and put me on stretcher and put me in an ambulance.”

Jones said, before he exited the building, he saw that the driver of the semi was OK.

“I seen how bad the truck was smashed and I couldn’t believe that he got out of the truck,” he said.

A total of five JTA passengers and Jones were taken to the hospital. Jones was released this morning.

“I’m just sore all over, real bad headache and stuff like that,” he said.

Overnight crews decided to demolish the building for safety reasons.

Jones said he had worked at Discount Seafood for about 26 years.

“I just feel for the owner,” he said. “Real great person.”

WJAX

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