JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A GoFundMe set up for the family of a woman and her 3-year-old son had raised about $6,000 by Friday to help the three surviving children after the pair were killed in a fiery crash on I-295, according to the fundraiser and local reports.
RELATED: Neighbors recount trying to help after car fire that killed Jacksonville woman, 3-year-old boy
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The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash was reported at about 10:35 p.m. Thursday on northbound I-295 near the Pulaski Road exit on the city’s Northside; local accounts placed the wreck near Alta Drive. Troopers said a black Jeep left the roadway, struck a tree and burst into flames while Dusty Reid and her son R.J. were in it. It was unclear what caused the vehicle to veer off the road.
The GoFundMe post asked first for prayers and then for financial support for what the post called “The Reid Boys.” Reid leaves behind three other sons, according to the fundraiser.
Neighbors tried to rescue the occupants with a garden hose and a fire extinguisher, but their efforts were not successful, a woman who attempted to help told News4JAX.
“I was asking whoever you believe in…to let whoever is in this vehicle enter,” she said.
Impact Learning Center, where the boy had been enrolled since infancy, released a statement.
“RJ had been part of our Impact Learning Center family since he was just an infant. He grew up in our hearts. He was a little brother, a son, and a beloved friend to his classmates and teachers.”
A 17-year-old has been charged in connection with the crash, authorities said. Troopers did not immediately say whether anyone in the vehicle was wearing a seat belt or whether a child restraint was in use. The crash remains under investigation.