FHP: 3 dead, 5 seriously hurt, including toddler after head-on crash in St. Johns County

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Troopers are investigating a serious crash that left three people dead and several people seriously hurt in St. Johns County early Saturday morning.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 21-year-old driver of a pickup truck was traveling southbound on State Road 13 near Collier Road, when it crossed into the northbound lane, hitting an SUV head-on. The crash happened just after 1 a.m.

UPDATE: Action News Jax has learned that the victim’s names were Veronica Reyes, Antonio Gomez, and Maria Gomez. The family has set up a GoFundMe for funeral costs. You can donate by clicking here.

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Bob Farris has lived off that road all of his life, and said he sees impatient drivers every day.

“I’m just trying to get into my own driveway. I pump the brakes and pump the brakes and turn on the signals and do everything that we have to do to try and get people off my butt as we’re trying to turn in, and yet they seem to sometimes, still honk and gesture to you and all the other things,” he said.

Authorities said seven people from Pompano Beach were inside the SUV. Three of them — a 69-year-old man, a 43-year-old woman, and a 76-year-old woman — were killed.

The others — a 16-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy and a 45-year-old man — have serious injuries. The youngest passenger of the SUV, a 2-year-old girl, was left critically hurt.

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According to the traffic report, four people traveling in the SUV were not wearing a seat belt, and the toddler was not in a child restraint.

The pickup truck driver was also critically hurt. FHP said he is from St. Augustine. He was not wearing a seat belt.

Their identities have not been released and we still don’t know the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Farris wants drivers to remember the long-term consequences of short-term decisions.

“I get in a hurry, too,” he said. “Please be cautious of other people’s lives. It’s not worth somebody’s life.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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