JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The parents of a 21-year-old Jacksonville who died this past weekend while pushing a disabled vehicle said their son died while doing what he loved -- helping people in need.
Carnell Jones was being a good Samaritan early Sunday morning when he was killed in an accident on Interstate 295, just north of Wilson Boulevard.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 21-year-old was pushing a disabled car off the roadway when another car crashed into him and a 19-year-old woman who was helping him. Jones and the woman, who troopers said was originally a passenger in the disabled vehicle, died at the scene.
Jones' parents said he did not know the people he was helping.
“That was Carnell,” said Michelle Denson, Jones' mother. “Help anyone and do anything for anyone.”
Jones’ parents said he lived a good life and they’re proud of the son they raised. They said he was never selfish.
“Give you anything -- the shirt off his back, anything," his mother said. "He was just Carnell.”
Michael Denson, Jones' father, said that when Jones was a child, he always followed directions, so by the time Jones was old enough to get a job, his father helped Jones get hired at a Publix warehouse, where he saved money from his paychecks to help purchase a house at age 21.
“He was a leader there," Michael Denson said. "And everyone at the warehouse loved him.”
The sky was the limit for Jones, who -- according to his parents -- was starting to venture into online marketing, but his promising life ended before it could really take off.
The driver of the car that struck Jones and the 19-year-old and the driver of the car they were pushing were both injured, according to the Highway Patrol. Investigators said they believe another car was involved as well.
Jones’ mother recalled getting the phone call and then driving down to the crash scene and identifying her son’s body.
“Every parent always wish they go first. I’m no different. I wish I was going first, and as I was walking to see his body, I told the Lord, ‘If you put me there, I will be OK. I lived my life. I’m OK,'" she said. "He was just 21 years old. He was just a baby.”
Jones leaves behind his two parents and seven siblings.
On Wednesday, the family will hold a ceremony to honor Jones. Then on Saturday, the family will gather for his funeral.
A relative has started a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses.