COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – A 15-year-old boy was killed late Friday night in a crash on Southwest Walter Avenue in Columbia County.
A crash report from Florida Highway Patrol shows the teenager was riding his bike north on SW Walter Avenue near SW Cindy Gln around 11:30 p.m. when a car hit him. Sadly, the 15-year-old died at the scene.
Troopers said an 18-year-old girl was driving the vehicle and had a 17-year-old passenger. Both were wearing seatbelts and were not injured.
It’s not clear how the crash happened. The report from FHP said the two vehicles “collided” in the northbound lane. It’s also not clear if impairment is suspected in the crash or if the 18-year-old driver will face charges.
News4JAX video shows the area where the crash happened is a narrow, dimly lit stretch of road with only two lanes.
A neighbor who declined to give his name said he heard the crash happen.
“My wife woke me up and I said ‘What happened?’ I opened the blinds and say there was a car across the street,” he said.
The speed limit is 30 mph, but a neighbor said people speed.
The Florida Highway Patrol did not say speed was a factor in Saturday’s crash, but the couple said in general, people drive fast on SW Walter Avenue.
“I talked to an officer one time. He told me the best I can do is talk to the city about putting in speed bumps,” he said.
Neighbors wish people would slow down and said it’s unfortunate a young life was lost.
State-wide effort to reduce bicycle vs. car fatalities
In May 2021, Florida’s elected leaders started a new campaign to urge motorists to share the road with bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians.
Governor Ron DeSantis proclaimed the month “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month”, recognizing both motorcyclists and bicyclists are vulnerable road users and can be hard to see.
In 2020, there were 8,583 motorcycle crashes and 6,013 bicycle crashes in Florida resulting in 2,687 serious bodily injuries and 668 fatalities.