JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – People living in one Southside neighborhood say they want something done after another pedestrian was killed while trying to cross Philips Highway, between Putnam and Clinton avenues, Wednesday morning.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said 45-year-old Philipe Angelaure was riding a JTA bus with her mother just before 7 a.m. when both got off at a stop in the 4400 block of Philips Highway and attempted to cross the street.
Angelaure and her mother crossed the southbound lanes and reached the median, where a school bus was waiting in the northbound inside lane of an intersection, waiting to make a U-turn.
When they got to school bus, the mother, who is 72 years old, stopped, but Angelaure (shown in family photo) continued and walked into the path of a Nissan Altima that was headed northbound on Philips Highway, JSO said.
"The driver of the Altima. He is an adult male, 50 years (old). His vision was blocked by the bus and (he) never saw the pedestrian until she was in front of the vehicle," Sgt. Donald Washington said.
Police said Angelaure suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital, where she died.
JSO said the driver turned around at the next available spot and came back to the scene of the crash and called 911. He is cooperating with police, and Washington said charges will not be filed against the driver.
Police said that driver will likely not be charged.
Angelaure's family didn't want to talk about the accident but people in the area think the tragedy has a lot to do with the fact that there isn't a crosswalk in the area.
The closest one is about a half a mile north of where the accident happened and many people say there should be one closer, especially with all the bus stops and stores forcing people try to make it across the street without one.
Hours after Angelaure died while trying to cross Philips Highway without using a crosswalk, countless other people could be seen doing the same thing.
A woman with a child, a bicyclist wearing headphones and a man walking his dog.
Willie Ashley is one of the people who regularly makes the dangerous crossing and said it isn't feasible to try crossing anywhere else.
"OK I'll tell you what, you do go all the way down there to that light and cross the street and come all the way back to your house. Do that 10 times, you get frustrated instead of making access for you to come across here," Ashley said.
With the closest crosswalks about a half mile in either direction, Ashley believes adding one in the middle could have prevented the accident he heard about Wednesday morning while at work.
"(Wednesday) morning, we were all talking and standing there and ‘Bam,' everything just went up in the air and the lady was down and we thought somebody got hit on the school bus, you know what I'm saying, one of those kids," Ashley said.
Ashley had witnessed the fourth deadly pedestrian accident in recent years on the stretch of Philips Highway between Putnam and Clinton avenues.
In June 2013, 62-year-old pedestrian Irene Cepeda died after being hit on Phillips near Reba Street.
In May of 2014, Belizario Ramirez was hit at Philips Highway and Putnam Avenue while riding his bicycle, the same location as the latest accident.
In February of 2015, pedestrian Randell Ewing was hit on Philips near Emerson Street.
"That's terrible, you know, it's really bad, and then like I said, I am sorry for the children that get off the school bus and stuff too, so it's really bad," Judy, a resident in the area, said.
Judy, who didn't want to give her last name, said what makes it even sadder is the woman died doing something she does almost every day, something Anthony Owens and his family said they do as well.
"It's too far in between for anybody to get across the street without no stop light. You have to really race it and your timing has to be really good, but that's like suicide," Owens said.
Owens hopes after this latest deadly accident, something more will be done.
"I just pray to God we get a stop light out here, and I pray to God though not too many more lives have to be taken, I really do," Owens said.
The Florida Department of Transportation manages Philips Highway, and a spokesperson said that after incidents like these they always look into possible improvements but that right now, there are no plans to add any other lights or crosswalks in the area. The spokesperson also stressed how important it is for people to use crosswalks.