ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Family members are mourning the loss of a teenager killed in an accident as he rode his skateboard to school.
Ja Williams, 16, was hit by a white SUV Thursday morning as he rode his skateboard across Anastasia Boulevard in St. Augustine.
“I saw the fire truck here and all these police here,” said neighbor John Briggs. “They’re giving (him) CPR out on the road right there, and he had no reaction.”
Williams was taken to Flagler Hospital where he died.
Police say the driver of the SUV was screened by another car when he hit Williams.
Police say Williams did not have the right of way when he crossed the street. There are no crosswalks at this stretch of Anastasia Boulevard.
Family members call the road a “death trap.” They say there are many pedestrians, bicyclists and skateboarders that ride along the road.
Neighbors agree there need to be changes to improve the safety of pedestrians.
“This is a neighborhood,” said Janette Cox, who lives near where the accident happened. “Where are they supposed to cross?”
St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver says people have raised concerns about the road before. She said the city requested a study by the Florida Department of Transportation.
The mayor said the state found that nothing warranted the need for crosswalks. She said the city asked for another study.
Since A1A is a state road, any changes would have to be made by FDOT.
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