Jacksonville drivers warn of ‘crazy’ roads after toddler killed, five others injured Sunday morning

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Devastation on I-295 in Jacksonville’s southside Sunday morning as four were injured and a one-year-old killed just after midnight when a driver drove off the left side of the interstate and hit multiple trees according to Florida Highway Patrol.

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“It’s always devastating to hear of anybody dying, but especially a child. I mean, that [child] had nothing to do with it, didn’t cause it,” said Jacksonville resident Phil Phillips.

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Then, just four hours later, right around 5:40 in the morning, Jacksonville Fire & Rescue alerted of a person trapped due to a crash on Normandy Boulevard, resulting in one person being sent to the hospital with serious injuries.

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“It’s just sad, because you kind of just want people to be as safe as possible honestly, just at all times, especially on the roads,” Jacksonville resident Quinton Pettaway added. “Because like it’s just the most common way that people, one of the most common ways people go out.”

According to statistics from Signal Four Analytics, December has been the deadliest month for Florida drivers during the three years from the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2022, with 989 traffic deaths over that period. Phillips told Action News Jax on Sunday that statistic doesn’t come as much of a surprise to him.

“There are more people on the road because their family visiting each other and drinking too much,” explained Phillips. “And even in the middle of the day. You do notice a bit crazier driving, sure.”

Meanwhile, Pettaway told Action News Jax he has one friendly piece of advice for all the drivers across Jacksonville this holiday season.

“Be the person that helps the other people on the road and be aware of other people, because you would want people to be aware of you.”

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