JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was a typical summer day for Alvin Nelson.
Before heading out for a drive on July 21, 2017, he told his family he would be right back. But Nelson, 38, wouldn’t return to his family alive after a drunk driver, Najee Rasheem Hillsman killed him in a crash on Edgewood Avenue North near Old Kings Road.
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The driver that killed Nelson took a plea deal and is serving a 13-year prison sentence.
“My brother had just left, we were at my mom’s house, he had his younger children and we had a small gathering,” said Sharonda Scott, Alvin’s sister.
It has been nearly eight years since the deadly crash, but Nelson’s mother and sister say it feels like Alvin died yesterday.
“It hurts me every day that I can’t go and hug my baby,” said Carolyn Nelson, Alvin’s mother. “I can’t kiss my baby, I can’t hear his voice or anything else.”
Nelson, a father of 14, had a set of twins on the way when the crash occurred. The twins’ mother had a miscarriage because of the crash.
Sharonda said the children miss their father every day, adding that it’s “very very very difficult.”
Despite the pain caused by DUI crashes, drunk drivers continue to get behind the wheel, which was mentioned by Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters during a recent community walk.
“We lose people in Jacksonville to DUI a lot more than we should,” Waters said.
According to JSO data, there were just under 1,900 DUI arrests in 2023, a little over 1,900 in 2024, and in 2025, 508 DUI arrests have already been made.
Additionally, data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shows that 363 fatalities occurred in Florida throughout 2023 from alcohol-impaired driving. In 2024, that number dipped to 240.
In Duval County, those numbers are at 29 and 24, respectively.
Judy Cotton, the victims services specialist with Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, also known as MADD, says these devastating crashes happen around the clock.
“It is a ripple effect,” Cotton said. “It will affect families, friends and communities for generations to come.”
Editor’s Note: After the story was published the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office provided additional information regarding DUI arrests.
DUI Arrests:
2023- 2,062
2024- 2,105
2025- We do not have this record available at this time: however, as of yesterday, there has been 668 DUI citations issued.
