JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two Jacksonville musicians are recovering after a deadly chain reaction crash on Atlantic Boulevard near Empire Point on Sunday.
The multi-car crash, which was reported around 12:30 p.m., shut down all lanes of Atlantic Boulevard from Empire Point to University Boulevard for hours.
According to a GoFundMe campaign, Owen “Po Beezy” Headley and Willie Green were headed to a gig when the crash happened.
Sgt. Robert Hungerford with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit said a teen driver was headed westbound in an Infinity when he drove over the short concrete median and crossed into oncoming traffic.
Hungerford said two SUVs and a car were headed eastbound, and at least one of them was struck head-on by the Infinity, causing a chain reaction with the other two.
The sequence of impacts is still under investigation, Hungerford said.
“We do believe (the Infinity) struck more than one. I don’t know if it hit all of them. We’re still working on that. We have an extensive debris field, and our investigators are top-notch,” Hungerford said. “I’m certain they’ll figure that out before we finish today.”
The crash left three people in one of the SUVs dead, Hungerford said.
Headley and Green were in the other SUV and were hospitalized with critical injuries, and the woman driving the car was also hospitalized but was stable.
The teen driver was hospitalized in serious but stable condition. A spokesperson for the teen driver’s family told News4JAX on Monday the family is cooperating fully with law enforcement as the investigation continues.
According to the GoFundMe posted on Monday, Headley is in the ICU in Jacksonville after undergoing two surgeries for a broken arm and severe burns. Doctors were able to save his arm, but he will need treatment, rehabilitation and time away from work, the fundraiser said.
Green was transported to Gainesville for treatment in the burn unit and faces an extended recovery. The fundraiser said he is a husband and father of two sons.
Headley and Green are self-employed entertainers and music is their livelihood. With extended rehabilitation ahead for both, they will be unable to work.
“Anyone who knows Owen and Willie knows they are the first to show up for others. Now, they need us,” the fundraiser said. “We believe in the power of community. Let’s rally around them the way they have rallied around so many.”
Click here to donate to Headley and Green’s GoFundMe.
There have been 41 traffic deaths in Jacksonville in 2026.
The full briefing can be watched below.