PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A head-on crash Tuesday morning left two people dead and a 12-year-old boy in critical condition on State Road 100, about 7 miles northwest of the Palatka Municipal Airport, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
After the crash, people on social media said something needs to be done on the road that one person called the “deadliest road in Putnam County.”
“100 needs something done, too many major accidents,” one commenter wrote under a post by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. The post had more than 260 comments.
Another commenter called for traffic lights to be installed on the highway.
“A lot of people do go exceptionally fast on this road here,” a resident told News4JAX.
The agency said the crash happened around 7 a.m. when a 34-year-old man from Live Oak was driving east on SR-100.
Two other vehicles were traveling in the opposite direction when the 34-year-old man exited the eastbound lane and ended up in the westbound lane.
His vehicle “sideswiped” the left side of a sedan driven by a 30-year-old man from Palatka before crashing head-on with an SUV driven by a 38-year-old woman from Palatka who had a 12-year-old passenger.
The 34-year-old man and the 38-year-old woman died at the scene.
When the 34-year-old’s vehicle finally came to a rest, it blocked the eastbound lane of SR-100, which caused hours-long delays for drivers in the area as FHP conducted its investigation.
Joey Bill, a Putnam County resident, said he’s witnessed crashes in that area.
“Personally, I watched somebody sideswap passing. Two people pass at the same time and they went into each other,” Bill said.
The Florida Department of Transportation issued a statement to News4JAX and said it will look at possible safety improvements.
“Our hearts break whenever we learn of a fatality or serious injury on the roadway. To that end, reviewing crash reports is critical to understanding causation and prevention of crashes. As the crash on State Road 100 is pending investigation, FDOT respectfully refers inquiries to law enforcement on the most recent incident and information that may be available. As is standard operating procedure, FDOT reviews all reported crashes on state roadways and interstates, with special emphasis is placed on fatalities and crashes with injuries. If there are improvements that can be made to enhance the safety of the facilities, FDOT will work to implement the improvements. This process includes careful analysis by professional engineers and other evaluations that may be warranted,” an FDOT spokesperson wrote in an email.