ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A 28-year-old man was struck and killed early Saturday morning on Blanding Boulevard at Blairmore Boulevard in Orange Park, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Troopers said Zachary Hall, of Orange Park, was walking diagonally across Blanding at about 4:15 a.m. when he was struck by a Ford Escape driven by Jeffrey Virbickis, 58, of Middleburg. Hall died at the scene.
Virbickis, who was not hurt, stopped and was cooperating with troopers. The FHP's preliminary report did not indicate if he would face any charges.
The accident and investigation blocked all northbound lanes through about 7:45 a.m. The Clay County Sheriff's Office detoured traffic onto Kingsley Avenue and asked all drivers to avoid the area through the early morning.
I’ve seen accident after accident,” said Chuck, who didn’t want to give his last name. “It’s pretty dangerous.”
News4Jax spoke with Ricky Grace, who doesn’t live in the area, but said he’s noticed something different about Blanding Boulevard.
“Every time I come to visit my mother, there’s always wrecks here on this road and, oftentimes, people are really speeding out of control,” Grace said.
According to News4Jax records, at least six people have died while crossing Blanding Boulevard since July 2015.
“People fly up and down there all day,” Chuck said. “It’s kind of dangerous, especially on a bicycle. I have crashes right here at this red light all the time.”
Troopers said the medical examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine if Hall was impaired.