JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A woman riding a bicycle was hit by a car Wednesday morning on Jacksonville's Westside and died, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers identified the woman as 37-year-old Joeann Lawrence.
Lawrence's brother said her 14-year-old daughter was in the area waiting at her bus stop and saw the crash from across the street.
FHP spokesman Sgt. Dylan Bryan confirmed Lawrence's teenage daughter was in the area, along with high school and middle school students waiting at nearby bus stops, when the crash happened around 6 a.m. on 103rd Street, west of Old Middleburg Road.
Lawrence was taken to Orange Park Medical Center and did not survive her injuries, Bryan said.
The students were moved to other bus stops, where they were picked up for school, and the daughter was reunited with her father and taken home, Bryan said.
"They're coping with this terrible tragedy as we speak," he said.
Lawrence's husband told News4Jax that the couple also has an 18-year-old son who has non-verbal autism. The family lives in a mobile home park on 103rd Street.
Jonathan Nelson said his sister was headed to work at Amazon when she was hit. He said she'd worked there for about a year and was a friend to everyone.
Nelson said Lawrence was a good mother and this is a tragedy for the entire family.
"My biggest concern right now is for the kids. I don't think the son understands because of his mental age, his disability," Nelson said. "I'm sad for her, but I guess the only reassurance I have is that I know she's in a better place."
Nelson set up a GoFundMe account to help his sister's family.
Bryan said Lawrence was headed west in the eastbound lanes of 103rd Street and was cutting across traffic diagonally to get to a convenience store when she was hit. The driver remained at the scene.
Eastbound 103rd Street was closed at Chaffee Road for several hours because of the crash and reopened around 10 a.m.
Troopers asked anyone with information to call the Highway Patrol at *FHP.
"Part of this investigation is putting the pieces of this puzzle together," Bryan said.
