19-year-old pedestrian killed when SUV left road

Victim hit while walking on sidewalk beside Mayport Road

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – A 19-year-old was killed Saturday morning when he was hit by an SUV while walking along Mayport Road in Atlantic Beach.

The Florida Highway Patrol says Tyler Allan Self was walking on the sidewalk along Mayport Road at Plaza Drive just after 7 a.m. when a Jeep Cherokee veered off the road and onto the sidewalk, hitting him.

The SUV eventually hit a tree.

Self was pronounced dead on the scene. FHP identified the driver as 22-year-old Christopher Duboulay. Troopers say not clear why the driver veered off the road. According to the FHP report, charges are pending.

Self (pictured in family photo, right) lived just a few blocks from the crash scene, and his family says he was walking to the bus stop when he was hit and killed.

Joanna Andrews never thought a quick goodbye on her way to work would be the last memory she'd have of her son.

"He was 5 minutes behind me," Andrews remembers. "He left. I saw him sitting here yesterday morning."

Tyler Self left home walking to the bus stop, but he never made it. His mom says he walked that road all the time, and she never worried about his safety. In fact, just the day before he died, she says it was him trying to keep her safe.

"He put his arm out and was like, 'Be careful you need to watch where you're walking cause people don't look for you,'" Andrews remembers. "Cause people don't look for you."

Andrews says Self was always looking out for his family. He was one of four brothers. She remembers the 19 year old as a jokester, who loved his family and worked 6 days a week at LA Fitness.

He attended Fletcher High School, and was looking forward for furthering his education and career.

"I just can't see he was so young and he was doing everything right," Andrews says. 'He was trying to make everything right. All he did was look out for his family and his friends."

Now, as she and those who love Tyler are finding comfort knowing he's in a better place, and passing this message to the community.

"You need to remember to love your family every day cause he did," Andrews says. "He loved all of us."

A donation fund has been set up to help the family pay for Self's funeral expenses. You can donate at any Wells Fargo bank location and contribute to the account in Tyler Self's name.

Self's family says they will be holding a vigil Monday at the scene of the accident at 6pm. All of his friends are invited. His family is asking that everyone wear Florida Gator colors because that was Self's favorite team.

Mayport Road was blocked part of Saturday morning as officers investigated and cleared the crash.