Police identify man in wheelchair killed crossing Beach Boulevard

Pedestrian death is second in same area in last 6 months

JACKSONVILLE, Fla – A 82-year-old man in a motorized wheelchair was struck and killed Saturday morning while crossing Beach Boulevard in St. Nicholas.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on Tuesday identified the victim as Robert Hall Jr., who lived in an apartment on Atlantic Boulevard, about 3½ miles away.

A witness said Hall was headed to a religious meeting when he was struck about 7:30 a.m.

Michael Lamb  said called 911 Saturday morning after seeing the crash between Camden Avenue and San Mateo Avenue.

“They need to put a light or something up, you know, something to prevent this. It's the second time in six months that I know of in this area,” Lamb said.

The other pedestrian death was in a nearby area to Saturday's crash. But a two- or three-minute walk in either direction would have brought those pedestrians to a crosswalk.

“It’s almost like playing Frogger trying to get across there for someone like me who can walk and who is healthy, and it’s still dangerous,” Lamb said.

News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said pedestrians need to think about safety above convenience.

“Sometimes people want the crosswalk to be more convenient for them, right where their business is. It’s not going to be that way. You can’t put a crosswalk in front of each business,” Smith said. “There’s no signage here saying, ‘Look out for pedestrians crossing.’ So drivers aren’t necessarily looking for people to cross the street.”

Smith said that before crossing a street, pedestrians should try to make eye contact with any approaching drivers. Pedestrians in wheelchairs should also consider putting a flag on their chair that sticks up about 5 or 6 feet, so that drivers in SUVs or trucks know they're there.

Drivers should realize that people crossing streets in wheelchairs might not be able to turn and see them, because of their disability, Smith said.