An 18-year-old woman died Wednesday morning when her Toyota Camry collided with a pick-up truck on Old Kings Road, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
Police said the Camry was likely traveling at an “extremely high rate of speed when the driver lost control” at a place where the road bends slightly just south of Thomas Road, a little over 2 miles from where Old Kings Road connects to New Kings Road.
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The crash was reported about 7:45 a.m. and Lt. Rich Buoye, commanding officer of JSO’s Traffic Homicide Unit, said weather conditions were not a factor.
Buoye said when the Camry lost control it began sliding through a grassy shoulder then back onto the roadway into the path of a Toyota truck, which was headed South on Old Kings Road.
The 27-year-old man driving the pick-up slowed down when he saw the Camry sliding toward him, but the passenger side of the car slammed into the truck, sending the Camry into a grass embankment, police said.
The driver of the pick-up suffered minor injuries from the airbag deploying.
The 18-year-old driving the Camry died at the scene. Jacksonville police do not release the names of crash victims, citing Marsy’s Law.
Buoye said she was the 86th person killed on a Jacksonville roadway in 2021.
“Every last one of them was preventable,” Buoye said. “The reason the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies do traffic enforcement is to prevent these kinds of tragedies. Please slow down, drive safely and arrive home safe to your loved ones.”