MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – Several neighbors voiced their concerns about the dangers of a roadway in Clay County.
Drivers said they have to be very careful when traveling through the intersection of Knight Boxx Road and County Road 220.
The speed limit on County Road 220 approaching the intersection is 45 mph. On Knight Boxx, it’s 35 mph.
People around the area said they’ve seen a lot of crashes at the intersection.
Brittany Mock recently posted on social media, “Very dangerous intersection!!!” Hannah Marie Stover wrote, “The road is so dark and hard to see. Crashes happen more often now. Not to mention a dangerous merge lane.”
On Tuesday night, five teens were hurt in a serious crash at the intersection. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, John Tiedeman III, 16, was driving a Ford Expedition and had two teenage passengers with him, 16-year-old Kaine Avery and 15-year-old Craig Zacker.
Troopers said Tiedeman was traveling west on 220, and the driver of a Hyundai Accent was traveling east, making a left turn onto Knight Boxx.
A witness said Tiedemann ran through a red light and struck the passenger side of the Accent, which was driven by 36-year-old Caridad Laucirica of Orange Park, according to the FHP report. Tiedemann has been charged with failure to stop at a red light.
Laucirica had a 14-year-old passenger in the car with her.
Tiedemann's Expedition rolled onto the driver's side and continued to travel into a Ford Aerostar and Toyota MR2 that were on Knight Boxx in the right turn lane to 220.
Lane Spear, 36, of Middleburg, was driving the Aerostar and had Alyssa Carr, 19, of Middleburg, as a passenger.
Walter Collins, 59, of Middleburg, was driving the Toyota.
All drivers and passengers, except for Collins, were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from serious to minor.
Several of the teens were Ridgeview High School students, and the Clay County school district released a statement about the crash:
A district spokesperson issued this statement about the crash.
We have learned three Ridgeview High School students were involved in this crash and are doing OK. The Principal of Ridgeview High School was a couple of cars behind the accident. The principal saw all three students get out of the car and assisted until family members could arrive to the scene."