PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – A St. Johns County man was killed when his car left the road and slammed into a tree Monday morning in Ponte Vedra Beach, authorities said.
The single-vehicle crash happened shortly before 8 a.m. along Solana Road near Marsh Landing Parkway, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
Public information officer Chuck Mulligan said a car driven by Austen Jenney, 22, was rounding a curve when the vehicle veered from the road for reasons that remain unclear.
The vehicle was crushed in the resulting collision and Jenney died on impact, authorities said.
Traffic to the roadway was shut down for several hours while authorities investigated and crews cleared away the wreckage.
Residents who live along Solana Road said it's a busy stretch and the two-lane road isn't enough to handle the growing traffic.
"There's people hauling butt all through here all the time," said Heather Simon. "People just seem to fly by and they don't care that people are trying to pull out, they don't watch what's going on."
Some neighbors, like Roger Hadaway, said new development in the area is attracting more aggressive drivers. That has Hadaway worried about the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
"This used to be old and slow. Sawgrass was old and slow," said Hadaway. "Now you have a more determined driver and that's causing accidents."