Bicyclist hit by car, killed in Jacksonville Beach, police say

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – A woman riding her bicycle in Jacksonville Beach was hit by a car Wednesday morning and died from her injuries, police told News4Jax.

Police said the woman was headed west at the intersection of 3rd Street and 13th Avenue South about 7:45 a.m. when a vehicle headed south on 3rd Street hit her.

The bicyclist died at the hospital about half an hour later, police said.

Jacksonville Beach police said the driver of the vehicle stopped at the scene and was cooperating with law enforcement.

The mangled bike could be seen in the road when News4Jax crews arrived.

One man told News4Jax the crash happened seconds before he arrived across the street. While it’s unknown how fast the car involved was going, he said that he had noticed drivers frequently speed on 3rd Street.

“The Jacksonville Beach Police Department is excellent. They’re out here at nighttime. They’re out here during the day. But there’s a bunch of lunatics that drive up and down 3rd [Street]. They’ll start out at my light, which is at 16th [Avenue], and just gun it. I mean, they’ll lay rubber out here, and by the time they’re down to the next corner down -- three or four blocks down -- there doing 50 mph,” said David Danzeisen. “In all fairness, I know the police are doing the best they can here.”

Following Wednesday’s crash, northbound lanes of 3rd Street remained open but southbound 3rd Street was closed from 12th to 14th avenues and cars were being diverted to 9th Street South.