JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man was hit and killed by a FedEx truck on Commonwealth Avenue at Ellis Road on Thursday night, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Police said the man got off of a Jacksonville Transportation Authority bus, crossed in front of the stopped bus and was hit by an oncoming truck. The man died at the scene.
Family members identified the man as James Edward West, 31.
Cathy West, James West’s mother, said the family doesn’t know how to explain what happened to the man’s 4-year-old son. She said James West had recently moved from West Virginia to Jacksonville and was getting to know the bus system.
“I don’t know what, what all happened. I don’t understand. I’m just so sad. It’s bad. I want to get him home. I want to get him here to West Virginia so bad. " Cathy West said. “We miss him. He was a good boy, a good young man.”
Police said the driver of the bus and the driver of the truck both stopped and were cooperating with the investigation.
According to an accident report from JTA, 15 people were on board the bus at the time of the accident. JTA said the driver of the bus was taken back to JTA headquarters and did not finish his shift due to what he witnessed.
The bus driver said in his report the man “walked in front of the bus to cross the street” when “a passing semitruck” hit him.
A statement from JTA reads: "The Jacksonville Transportation Authority sends our sincerest condolences to the family during this most difficult time.”
Data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows that in the last two years, FedEx trucks were involved in more than 600 crashes where someone was injured, and of those, at least 49 crashes were fatal.
A statement from FedEx reads: “Our thoughts are with everyone involved in this tragedy, and we are fully cooperating with investigating authorities.”
A GoFundMe account has been created to help the family raise money for funeral costs.