CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida Highway Patrol spokesman said two people were killed and four drivers were hurt in a crash involving multiple vehicles Monday.
The two killed were pedestrians, a 48-year-old woman from Lawtey and a 60-year-old male from Rossville, Indiana. One of the pedestrians killed was part of a contracted litter crew. The other person killed was looking for a lost phone on the side of the road.
The crash happened just before noon south of Blanding and County Road 215 in Clay County. So far, the FHP investigation shows a car driving south on Blanding was waiting to turn left onto Periwinkle Avenue when it was rear-ended. The impact forced the car into a truck pulling an oversized shed traveling north.
The collision caused the truck to hit a pedestrian – a member of a crew picking up litter – as well as the litter crew’s truck that was parked on the shoulder of the road.
That same truck then hit a second pedestrian on the side of the road.
According to FHP, the second pedestrian was looking for their phone that they had previously dropped when they were hit. They later died at the hospital, and the roadside worker died at the scene.
The drivers involved were taken to the hospital, but they do not have serious injuries.
Regina Whitehead, a neighbor, recalls hearing a loud bang and screeching of tires when the crash happened.
Traffic is still being rerouted around this section of Blanding Blvd as Highway Patrol continues to investigate to see if there were any outside factors such as alcohol or speed that contributed to the crash.