ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Orange Park police are providing details after a two-vehicle crash on River Road prompted questions and concern from the community.
On the morning of April 8, officers say they responded to a head-on collision on River Road after a driver attempted to pass a slower-moving vehicle and crossed into the opposing lane of travel. Both vehicles sustained significant damage, and both drivers reported minor injuries, according to investigators.
Police say one of the vehicles involved was transporting three children to Bright Start School and Day Care on Wells Road at the time of the crash.
When officers arrived, they say a representative from the daycare came to the scene and transported the children to the facility to notify parents.
Roberta Tomlinson, a woman who witnessed the crash, spoke with News4JAX about what she saw.
Tomlinson said she stood with the three elementary-aged children after the crash.
“The youngest was crying for his mother and telling me his stomach hurt. And they had blood on their mouth and all,” she said.
Tomlinson said the representative from the daycare mentioned earlier in this article identified herself as the owner of the day care.
“I looked at her, and I said, ‘Are you their grandmother?’ And she says, ‘No, I’m the owner of the day care. I’m taking them back to the day care. And I said, ‘These children need to be checked out,’” Tomlinson said.
Tomlinson said she tried to get someone to help the children with medical attention, but the daycare employee removed them from the scene.
After completing their on-scene investigation, officers followed up at the day care to check on the children’s welfare.
According to the Orange Park Police Department, all parents were notified promptly by the day care and remained with the children until they were picked up.
News4JAX went to the Orange Park Police Department to try to obtain the crash report and ask why the children were not given immediate medical care at the scene. The Assistant Chief told News4JAX he would work on getting the report to us and referred us back to the social media post made by the department about the crash for any of our questions.
News4JAX was aware that debris from the crash was not completely picked up and cleaned, as the departments post had said. After telling the Assistant Chief this, he notified the Public Works department who went back to the scene and cleaned up the rest of the wreckage.
One of the children’s parents said she has hired a lawyer. That parent spoke with News4JAX anonymously. She says her child was “very banged up,” from the crash. She wanted to know why they were not checked out by EMS and instead taken from the scene.
Officers made individual contact with each parent to verify the children’s condition. All parents reported seeking medical evaluations for their children, who sustained minor injuries consistent with seatbelt use.
Police say the at-fault driver was issued a traffic citation, and the investigation has been closed.
News4JAX has reached out to the Department of Children and Families to find out the guidelines for day care providers transporting children.
We also left a message with the manager of the daycare, Bright Star, but didn’t immediately hear back.