JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The son of a woman hit and killed walking across Baymeadows Road on Wednesday night expressed his sadness and anger Thursday as he tries to process what happened to his mother.
Mary Elizabeth Dusenbery, 47, was killed near the intersection of Philips Highway and Baymeadows Road about 8 p.m. Wednesday when she was struck by a Honda Civic driven by 34-year-old Rodney Joseph Williams, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Troopers said alcohol was a factor in the crash.
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"I hope they throw the book at him," Chris Dusenbery said. "He took my mom, our family member away from us. That's a life that can't be brought back."
Troopers said Williams, who has a previous arrest for a hit-and-run crash in Lake County, originally drove his car away from the scene Wednesday but returned about 15 minutes later. Williams also has four citations for driving with a suspended or expired license and has prior arrests in Duval County for resisting police, dealing in stolen property, criminal mischief and trespassing.
Mary Dusenbery's family members are heartbroken and said her loss is almost too much to take.
"I don't know what I'm going to do without her," Chris Dusenbery said. "I loved her so so very much. She was always caring."
"I'm going to miss her with all my heart," Ronald Dusenbery Jr. said. "We've been married for 30 years, and we've always been together. We did everything together."
Mary Dusenbery worked at a Taco Bell near the location of the crash, and her co-workers said she was one of the hardest working people they knew. No one can believe she's gone.
"It was like, 'Oh my Lord, please Lord don't let it be her.' And then they pulled up and they said, 'We're sorry, she's gone,'" Chris Dusenbery said. "She's gone. We can't ever get her back."
According to FHP, Mary Dusenbery was crossing Baymeadows Road and was on a concrete median as Williams was heading east toward the spot where she was standing. Troopers said Williams crossed over Philips Highway and just as he passed the intersection, Mary Dusenbery stepped out into the first lane. Williams, who had a 40-year-old passenger in the car, hit her and then left the scene, according to FHP.
Williams and his passenger were not injured.
"It's an instant reaction. They don't know this is going to happen so they get scared, they panic, they don't know what to do," News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said.
According to his driving record, it's a reaction Williams has had before. In 2004, he was arrested after he left the scene of another crash before police got there in Lake County.
Williams has been taken into custody and charges are pending for Wednesday's crash. Smith said he thinks FHP is waiting on blood alcohol results, which could take some time, but if Williams was drunk, he could be facing DUI manslaughter charges.
Mary Dusenbery's relatives said she typically used the crosswalk, and they don't know why she didn't Wednesday night.
Smith said it's important to use a crosswalk because you never know who's behind the wheel of an oncoming car that could possibly hit you.
Anyone who would like to can contribute to a donation account at Community First Credit Union for Mary Dusenbery's family. The account is in her name and the number is 1200224-00. The routing number is 263078934.