2 dead, 2 children injured in Jacksonville crash after driver swerves to miss deer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two people died and two children were taken to the hospital after a head-on crash Friday night.

Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened on Normandy Boulevard near Bicentennial Drive at around 10:15 p.m., according the Florida Highway Patrol.

The crash report shows a 34-year-old woman and two girls, ages 11 and 10, were traveling in a sedan west on Normandy Boulevard when the vehicle crossed over the double yellow line into the eastbound lanes. Troopers think the driver swerved to miss a dead deer in the westbound lanes.

But when the driver swerved, it moved into the path of an oncoming pickup truck. The two hit head-on. Debris from the impact landed on a third vehicle following behind the pickup.

The driver of the pickup truck, a 60-year-old Jacksonville man, was killed. The 34-year-old woman driving the sedan was also killed. The two children in the sedan have serious injuries and the third driver was not injured.

In a post on Facebook, one woman said her daughter was driving that third vehicle and was the only one not injured. The post went on to say how they are praying for the other families involved.

Driving the truck was John David Miller, 60. His family said he was the best father and papa, and that this all just doesn’t feel real. In the words of his stepdaughter, Miller was a one-of-a-kind guy. She said he could make anyone laugh even on your worst day.

She and her family said they’re waiting on him to walk back through the door at home.

Miller was a husband, father and grandfather. His family said, “We miss him more than words could even begin to describe. My prayers also go out to the other families involved. It’s just a horrible tragedy all the way around. Something no one should ever have to face.”