JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – People who live in part of the Avondale neighborhood are asking drivers to be more careful when passing through.
The request comes after a truck crashed into a home on St. Johns Avenue. It happened around two in the morning on Saturday.
“It was surreal,” Aristide Pinto, whose parents live in the area, said. “It literally looked like a bomb went off and exploded the car into the house.”
Pinto, who is also a real estate agent, shared photos and videos of the wreckage with News4JAX.
In the photos, you can see a mangled truck, a damaged retention wall and a utility pole split in half.
This led to power being out for hours.
A JEA spokesperson said 255 people were affected by this outage, but power was restored before 10 this morning.
The cause of the crash is still unknown, but Pinto said he’s seen many crashes on this road before.
“I’ve seen people speed on that road for the last five years of me being in Avondale,” Pinto said.
Pinto said he and his dad have reached out to the city as well as the Florida Department of Transportation to see if they could get solutions to slow down the fast drivers.
The dad shared his email thread between FDOT and News4JAX. At one point an FDOT worker replied they’ve “determined that all appropriate safety measures have already been installed.”
It’s not something Ari and his dad agree with, because they feel like more signage or speed bumps could be added to help slow drivers down before someone gets seriously injured or killed.
News4JAX reached out to the owner of the home, they told us they didn’t want to speak on camera.
We also reached out to JSO for comment and are still waiting to hear back.
When we reached out to FDOT for comment on this story they replied
“Portions of St. Johns Avenue are owned and maintained by FDOT, while other portions are owned by COJ. I am not aware of the details of the recent crash you mentioned and unsure if this crash is on a state roadway.
For information regarding the cause of the crash or other specifics, FDOT respectfully refers you to law enforcement, as the crash is likely still under investigation.
As with all crashes on FDOT roadways, FDOT evaluates the roadway once law enforcement has completed its investigation. This is standard operating procedure for the agency. If the crash involves a fatality, special emphasis is placed on the evaluation.
FDOT is not a law enforcement agency and does not have the authority to enforce speed limits. However, the agency is committed to promoting safe driving behaviors. FDOT’s statewide Target Zero safety initiative encourages all roadway users to obey traffic laws and make responsible decisions to help prevent crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has determined that over 92% of all roadway crashes have human behavior as a determining factor, underscoring the importance of promoting safe driving behavior.
Regarding roadway evaluations, FDOT continuously reviews its infrastructure to ensure roadways meet safety and operational standards.
While I am not aware of a previous request for additional signage on St. Johns Avenue, I can confirm that FDOT designs and constructs roadways with safety as a top priority. I would have to get back to you during regular business hours regarding any specific requests.
However, the safest roadways rely on drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and all roadway users making responsible choices and safe decisions to ensure the roadway is safe for everyone.
Hampton Ray, Community Outreach Manager, Florida Department of Transportation