ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A woman killed Friday morning in a head-on crash on State Road 16 at Hunters Creek, near Wards Creek Elementary, has been identified by troopers.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Danielle Billings, 32, of Palatka, was driving a black Ford Fiesta east on State Road 16 and crossed into the oncoming lane, striking a white Kia Forte nearly head on.
Troopers said the driver of the Forte, 23-year-old Miguel Lopez, was seriously injured and his passenger, 17-year-old Kaitlin Cohn, was critically injured in the crash, which was reported around 7:25 a.m.
Lopez was taken to Baptist South, and Cohn was taken to Orange Park Medical Center. Billings died at the scene.
Troopers said weather wasn't a factor, and it's unknown if Billings was speeding. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
A woman who works at an animal hospital between the school and the crash site said she arrived at work minutes before the accident Friday. She said she got calls from her staff members saying they were caught in the backups several miles away as State Road 16 was shut down for several hours.
The road was cleared just before 11:20 a.m.
Toffy Blaber said the deadly crash has made her all the more nervous to drive along that stretch of road.
"I’ve been here about 2½ years, but we haven’t had a whole lot of horrible accidents on this road and so it wasn’t something I was extremely concerned about," Blaber said. "But now that we are starting to get more accidents, it is getting a little concerning driving on this road for sure."
The family has set up a Go Fund Me page to help with the cost of funeral arrangements.
