JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An elderly woman was killed and another was critically injured after they were hit by an SUV while walking in the Hyde Park area Monday morning, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Police said around 8:30 a.m., the two women were walking on the side of the road on Hanson Drive, near Old Middleburg Road, when a 20-year-old man driving an SUV struck them.
GOFUNDME: Support for Barbara Mersal’s Family After Loss
One of the women died at the scene. The other woman was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, according to police.
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According to police, the women were neighbors who had gone for a morning walk. Residents told News4JAX that the women would go on a morning walk every day.
Police did not identify the women.
According to JSO, the women were walking on the right-hand side of the road because there were no sidewalks in that area.
The driver stopped and is cooperating with police. JSO said there are no indicators of impairment and it appears he was driving home from his overnight shift.
“Looks like he was driving down the road and just missed them,” JSO Sgt. Hungerford said.
Hiram Rivera has lived in that neighborhood for approximately 20 years.
“My wife walks around here as well, and she sees a couple of ladies walking around with a baby carriage and picking up trash, you know, on their way, keeping the neighborhood clean,” Rivera said. “I may not know who they are, but they’re neighbors.”
News4JAX spoke with the victim’s son off camera who was devastated and heartbroken. He said it was only him and his mom in Jacksonville, and he didn’t know anyone else in the area.
Police are still working to determine the driver’s speed. Once detectives collect all evidence, they will present the case to the State Attorney’s Office.
This incident marks the 89th traffic fatality in Duval County this year. In contrast, there were 129 traffic fatalities at this same time last year, according to JSO.
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