Driver rear-ends big rig on Monument Road, dies

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 37-year-old man died Friday after his SUV rear-ended a tractor-trailer that had just pulled onto the westbound lanes of Monument Road near St. Johns Bluff Road.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the victim’s RAV 4 pulled into the lane behind the big rig before hitting it at a high rate of speed. The SUV was dragged for about 75 yards until the tractor-trailer stopped.

All traffic in both directions shut down after the crash. The eastbound lanes reopened just before 4 p.m. Westbound lanes would reopen after the crash was investigated and cleared.

According to JSO, this was the 141st traffic fatality on Jacksonville’s roads so far this year.