JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A crash on a busy Jacksonville road Wednesday claimed the life of a father and has a child fighting for their life.
A car rear-ended the back of a tractor trailer, ultimately, wedging the vehicle underneath the back of the semi.
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The stretch of road along New Kings Road at Soutel Drive was shut down for several hours Wednesday morning as police cleared debris.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s office said the wreck was so severe it was as if the semi and the car were welded together.
For workers at a local tire shop, the crash resonates in more ways than one.
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It was anything but business as usual at Iden Tires on New Kings Road. Bruno Tumang was sitting outside the shop around 8:45 a.m. Wednesday morning when something stopped him.
“I just heard a crash. No tires squealing, brakes squeaking, nothing,” Tumang, who witnessed the crash aftermath, said.
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According to JSO, the tractor trailer was traveling southbound when it stopped for normal traffic. Sergeant Robert Hungerford with JSO Traffic Homicide said the driver of the car behind the semi failed to brake, hitting the back of the semi.
“It does look like the brunt of the impact, the car went underneath the back of the semi, so there’s a lot of impact to the passenger in general,” Hungerford said.
JSO said neither the driver nor the young passenger were wearing seatbelts. It’s unclear if the child was in the front or back seat. JSO said the child is under 10 and should have been in a booster seat.
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“I’m sorry to say that was way too young, 26-years-old. I knew him. He was a customer here at the tire shop. He’s a good kid. He was a good kid,” Tumang said.
JSO said the child is still in critical condition.
This is the 85th traffic death in Jacksonville this year.
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