JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 41-year-old woman who was killed after a tow truck crashed into her e-bike at the intersection of Blanding Boulevard and San Juan Avenue has been identified, and now, her mother says the crash could’ve been avoided if there were more protections for cyclists and pedestrians.
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Jennifer Ramos was riding an e-bike to her job at Blanding Billiards the morning of May 1 when the fatal incident occurred.
Her mother, Justina, is now planning her funeral while also fighting for her son, who is currently serving a prison sentence, to say a final goodbye.
“Anyone who knew her would say [she had a] beautiful smile,” Justina said.
A smile, she adds, she is in desperate need of at the moment.
“41 years and she’s gone?” she questions in disbelief before reflecting on that fateful day.
According to JSO Sergeant Robert Hungerford, around 10:35 a.m., Jennifer and a tow truck driver were traveling southbound on Blanding Blvd.
As the tow truck made a right turn onto westbound San Juan Ave., her e-bike and the tow truck collided.
Justina got the call a few hours later.
“And that’s when he told me Jennifer was gone, and I asked, ‘What do you mean Jennifer is gone?’” she recalls.
She said that she initially thought it was a bad joke or prank, but once reality settled in, she thought about her son and Jennifer’s younger brother, Nicholas Ortiz, who is in prison.
“Now I’ve got one kid left, and that breaks my heart because now he doesn’t know what he’s going to do,” Justina said. “He can’t even keep it together because he can’t say goodbye.”
She adds that she’s jumped through hoops to request a furlough so Ortiz can attend the funeral, but the request was denied a couple of days before the event.
The email Justina received explaining the denial can be read below.
News4JAX attempted to contact the Apalachee West Unit prison to receive an explanation as to why the furlough was denied. The prison said they would call us back, and we are still waiting for that to happen.
Tired and in mourning, Justina says the crash that took her daughter’s life could’ve been avoided if there were more protection for cyclists and pedestrians.
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“You have to have consideration, if you see a bicycle or a skateboard on a scooter, slow down for them,” she said.
The Ramos family has created a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses, which can be found here.
According to JSO, the bicyclist was not wearing a helmet.
The tow truck driver was cooperating with the investigation, and there were no indicators of impairment, the agency added.
Concerns over the safety of e-bikes have been on the rise as they continue to become more popular.
On April 28, a middle-school boy was airlifted to a trauma center with critical injuries after being involved in an e-bike crash on Race Track Road in St. Johns County.
A day after the crash, the County Attorney’s Office for St. Johns County submitted a draft e-bike ordinance, but officials did not share further details on the exact changes.
In late March, the Atlantic Beach City Commission approved an ordinance aimed at regulating bikes, e-bikes, and personal mobility devices.
Some of the key rules and provisions approved by the city commission included e-bikes being restricted to a 10 mph speed limit and requiring all e-bikes to abide by “all state statutes and regulations,” like stop signs and bike laws.
The crash marked the 50th traffic fatality in Duval County so far this year and the 4th involving a bicycle.
