JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Highway Patrol was sent to investigate two separate crashes in Clay County on Friday evening that resulted the deaths of three people.
Both crashes occurred on U.S. 17 northbound between County Road 220 and Creighton Road, and the highway was closed in between those roads as troopers investigated. A fourth person was taken to a hospital for treatment.
According to the crash report, troopers said the first wreck happened at about 5:10 p.m. near Los Palmas Drive.
According to the FHP, the driver of a car was turning into a driveway from southbound U.S. 17 when a northbound pickup truck collided with the car. Troopers said the driver of the car failed to yield.
The driver of the car, a 77-year-old woman from Middleburg, died in the crash. No one in the pickup truck was injured.
The other crash, troopers said, happened at approximately the same time at the first near Raggedy Point Road.
According to FHP, an SUV was traveling south on U.S. 17, while a van was traveling north. For unknown reasons, the SUV driver, a 56-year-old man from Fleming Island, lost control, crossing the median and into the path of the van. Troopers said the SUV collided with the front left of the van.
The driver of the van, a 38-year-old man from Middleburg, and the driver of the SUV both died in the crash.