JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Family and friends are remembering a young man who died being a good Samaritan on Interstate 10 over Memorial Day weekend.
Gavin Carter, 23, died early Saturday when he was struck on I-10 near McDuff Avenue after pulling over to help a car that had been involved in a crash.
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That driver ran from the scene, but Carter was left behind.
Becky Thomas, bartender at The Last Call Neighborhood Tavern on the Northside, said Carter was a regular there and loved to play pool.
“We would consider him a regular. He was family. Gavin was amazing though. Gavin… if you see him he’d walk up and ask ‘How you doin’?’ He never knew a stranger. He talked to everybody,” Thomas said.
The bar is hosting a fundraiser for his family Wednesday night.
“We’re doing a fundraiser Wednesday for the family for funeral costs. We’re going to do a 9-ball tournament, $10 buy-in, 2/3 race. I could be wrong. Pool players know what I mean. Gavin absolutely loved 9-ball. He did,” Thomas said.
This issue of people helping disabled motorists or with crash victims being hit is a real issue. In fact, this weekend News4JAX spoke with Major Donald Flynn with the Florida Highway Patrol Auxiliary. It’s his job to help disabled motorists and he reminded drivers that Florida has a Move Over Law designed to stop tragedies like the one that happened on I-10.
MORE | Florida Highway Patrol gives safety tips for Memorial Day weekend travelers
“The Move Over Law is there for a reason, to protect someone who is disabled. It provides a buffer or cushion away from someone who’s not traveling in that area. If people were able to slow down 20 miles an hour or more it takes off that edge,” Flynn said.
The Last Call Neighborhood Tavern is located just off North Main Street, north of the Budweiser plant. They’re hosting the fundraiser Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The family has also started a GoFundMe for funeral expenses.