JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 54-year-old motorcyclist died Sunday afternoon in a crash in the Highlands area of the Northside, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers said the motorcyclist, John Mason, was headed west on Dunn Avenue near Armsdale Road about 2:45 p.m. when a Chevy Silverado turned left onto Dunn Avenue from Armsdale Road, across the motorcycle’s path.
The motorcycle hit the left side of the truck, troopers said.
A woman told News4Jax she stopped to help Mason as he was lying in the road.
“There was nobody helping him, so I got out of the vehicle and just ran to him, and when I got there he was completely unresponsive, and I just straddled him and chest rubbed and try to get him to come back and he did," bystander Monday Winkler said.
She said Mason was breathing before the ambulance took him. He died at UF Health Jacksonville from his injuries.
“It scared me, like, you know, you’re a failure, you didn’t save him, but at least you were there,” Winkler said.
Winkler said she travels the road every day and wants everyone to pay more attention.
“But my goodness that road is really bad there,” she said. "It’s scary when it happens right in front of your eyes. It’s like, my goodness if I would have been there two seconds earlier, that would have been me.”
There are signs of growth in the area, which is another concern for people living in this area when it comes to safety on the roads.
“I knew it was going to happen, and I told my daughter they are not going to put a light there until someone gets killed, and that’s just what happened," said Jennie Talley, who lives near Dunn Avenue. “They definitely need a light there.”
The 17-year-old driver of the Silverado and his 18-year-old passenger were not hurt.
Troopers said the Silverado driver failed to yield to the oncoming motorcycle and charges are pending.
The crash shut down both directions of Dunn Avenue between Pine Estates Road and Biscayne Boulevard for several hours.