JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two new “Wrong Way” signs were added to an entrance ramp at the Hart Bridge this weekend following a deadly wrong-way crash that killed two Jacksonville women last week.
The changes come after family members of one of the women who died in the collision with a JTA bus last Monday morning spoke out about the perceived dangers in the area.
The sisters of Jaquanna D’Oliveira said they believe it was a senseless tragedy and they pointed to the construction underway at the Hart Bridge. They said the entrance near TIAA Bank Field is confusing for drivers who could end up going the wrong way on the bridge.
“I actually do believe that it was terrible an honest mistake. Anybody could of mistaken for that anybody,” sister Laqueta D’Oliveira told News4Jax last week.
Jaguana D’Oliveira will be buried next weekend.
The city made some minor sign changes last week, but this weekend News4Jax saw the new signs posted on the ramp.
Throughout this week, the News4Jax I-Team has been looking into the problems. Right now the city is still not commenting.
“My heart goes out to the family. I’m not familiar with the details of the accident except for life was lost and I’m certain that engineers will take a look at that to make sure that proper safety is put in place,” Mayor Lenny Curry said last week.
On Monday, News4Jax learned the family has hired an attorney and for now they are not talking about the accident. News4Jax asked the law firm if a lawsuit is being filed but we have not heard back.
News4Jax has also reached out to the contractor several times and but haven’t heard back from them either.
Given the fact that there are more than likely going to be lawsuits stemming from the crash, it’s common practice for the city and others not to comment because of pending litigation.
The Hart Bridge is maintained by the state Department of Transportation but the city is responsible for the construction site.
According to a crash report, alcohol and drug use are not suspected in the crash but blood tests are pending.