Pedestrian hit by SUV on San Jose Boulevard

Man expected to recover after being struck

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 35-year-old man was struck crossing San Jose Boulevard near Hartley Road early Tuesday afternoon.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said a man in his 30s was struck by a northbound SUV about 2:45 p.m. while crossing the six-lane road outside of a crosswalk just north of Interstate 295.

The victim's condition was originally though to be life-threatening, but police later said he was in stable condition at UF Health Jacksonville and should recover.

Neither the victim nor the driver was identified by police, but officer said there would not be any charges in the accident. They said the man was not in a crosswalk.

Tuesday's incident was the latest in a string of pedestrians hit by vehicles on the state road that runs through Jacksonville's Mandarin area. Channel 4's Mary Baer witnessed the crash on Tuesday.

"He just hit bam, right into that car. It sent him into the air," Baer said. "He went three times and landed on the ground, I couldn't believe it. I screamed and I was hysterical."

The site of the man hit at San Jose Boulevard and Hartley Road stunned Baer, who was among a number of people who stopped and tried to help the man after he was hit.

"I got out of car, put my flashers on and there were already two women who were helping him," said Baer. "He was flat on his back, and blood was coming out of his mouth and his head. His leg was just mangled."

The most recent high profile pedestrian accident on San Jose Boulevard was when Esther Ohayon and her 16-year-old daughter were hit by a car walking across San Jose at Haley Road. Ohayon was killed in the accident.

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"Injuries were initially thought to be life threatening, but now been upgraded to stable now and expected to survive at least in early part of medical treatment," said Jacksonville Sheriff Officer Ron Thompson.

"It's one thing to read it on the news and I'm very concerned about what goes on, on our roads, and I'm always telling my family to be careful because especially on San Jose, it's gotten so heavy, the traffic. You just have to be cautious," said Baer.

The driver of the vehicle in Tuesday's accident will likely not be charged, police said it appears the pedestrian ran out into the street and was not using a crosswalk to cross the road.

Two northbound lanes of San Jose were blocked for a while as the accident was investigated and cleared.


About the Authors:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.