JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A driver on the Hart Bridge ramp Thursday afternoon saw the SUV coming toward him and other westbound traffic.
"I saw a black Nissan Rogue coming up toward us real fast on the wrong side of the road," Benny Jenkins said.
Jenkins, a 54-year-old Jacksonville man who has driven trucks for a living for 36 years, said this was the first crash of his life.
He had come over the bridge and was headed downtown when he saw it.
"In the left lane was a Chevy Equinox, about a car ahead of me. I saw (the Rogue) coming. I thought it was going to turn around, but it never turned around. It never slowed down. (It) kept high speed."
Jenkins braced for impact.
"The black Nissan Rogue ran into the Equinox and went airborne, and by the time it came down, he did in front of my truck. The car went back about 15 feet," Jenkins said. "I was like, oh God, this can’t be happening."
Four people from Tampa were in the Equinox. Joan Kinsler, 74, died at the scene. Three others were taken to UF Health with injuries.
The wrong-way driver, identified as Henok Mekonnen, 52, of Jacksonville, was also injured and taken to Memorial Hospital. According to the initial FHP accident report, charges are pending against Mckonnen.
Kinsler said the sound -- like a bomb -- keeps playing back in his mind.
"I thanked God I was alive," Jenkins said. "My prayers went out to the driver, because I don’t know what would make him do that, but he had time to stop and turn around."
It was the second wrong-way crash within 24 hours in Duval County. A man going the wrong way died early Thursday morning on the Wonderwood Expressway, between Mayport and East Arlington.
"Our heart breaks for those who lost their lives and who were injured," Florida Department of Transportation spokesman Hampton Ray said.
Ray said the FDOT has a team dedicated to how to prevent wrong-way crashes.
"We have studied this issue. We have looked at ways we can improve and make progress on that," Ray said. "A lot of it is driver reasonability, but we definitely want to make sure we have the safest roadways as possible."
Ray said there is an ongoing project in Jacksonville to enhance wrong-way signage and pavement markings at interstate off-ramps. The project is expected to be complete this fall.