JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man driving a pickup truck was hit by a Jacksonville Transportation Authority bus Thursday evening after running a stop sign. He said he ran the stop sign because he couldn't see it, as it was completely covered by a tall palm tree.
Donald Bennett said he didn't see the stop sign on Springfield Boulevard, drove through it and was hit by a JTA bus on 44th Street in Jacksonville's Brentwood neighborhood.
"The car was on fire. There was all the smoke from the airbag, so I don't know what that was, but I thought I was going to burn alive and started freaking out," Bennett said. "I crawled out of the passenger side because I couldn't open the door."
Bennett said he has multiple injuries. He was taken to the emergency room Thursday night and was at the doctor and chiropractor Friday.
"I am very much in pain," Bennett said.
News4Jax went to the intersection less than 24 hours after the crash and found the tree had been removed. Only a stump remained. The tree was chopped down either Thursday night or Friday morning, but it's unclear when and by whom.
Bennett said he's frustrated and wants to know why the city let the tree block the stop sign.
"Either fix the roads or give us our tax money back because this is ridiculous," Bennett said. "It's an unsafe city."
He and his attorney, John Phillips, said it was like that for years.
"There’s a sinkhole right by the stop sign where they put a city maintenance sign, which some walkers said was down yesterday because of the wind," Phillips told News4Jax. "So the city has been here. They’ve stopped at a stop sign or not, so they are aware of the condition."
According to JTA, three people on the bus were also taken to the hospital, including the bus driver. Bennett said that could have been avoided.
A giant shopping center building called Pearl Plaza is right next to the stop sign. Phillips said he is looking into who owns the property where the stop sign is located -- the city or the adjacent shopping center.
According to the city, generally, "street signs are located in the city's right-of-way," but it is looking to get more information from the traffic engineering department.
A city spokeswoman reminded anyone who observes an issue where a sign is obstructed or damaged to report it to the city's customer service team by calling 630-CITY, visiting 630CITY.coj.net or emailing 630CITY@coj.net.
News4Jax was unable to get ahold of anyone with Pearl Plaza.