JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman is in the hospital with critical injuries after being hit by a vehicle while she was walking across 103rd Street near Old Middleburg Road Sunday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash happened around 8:30 p.m., an FHP report shows. The woman, 48 years old, was walking north across the eastbound lanes east of Old Middleburg when a 32-year-old man driving an SUV east in the center lane of 103rd Street approached the woman from the west.
The woman stepped into the path of the vehicle, and the driver was unable to avoid her, the report says. The vehicle hit the woman with the front left side of the SUV, according to the report.
The woman was taken to Orange Park Medical Center to be treated for her injuries, the report says.
Charges are pending, according to the FHP report.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, all eastbound lanes of 103rd Street in the 7900 block were shut down due to the crash, but have since reopened.
Jacksonville ranks No. 10 in the country for the most dangerous cities for pedestrians, according to a report by Smart Growth America. Nearly 50 pedestrians have been killed in traffic crashes in Jacksonville in 2021, according to JSO.
The City of Jacksonville is working on improving pedestrian safety. A city spokesperson says a pedestrian crossing program is making crossing locations more visible and that the 6-cent gas tax increase will help address the backlog of projects to improve roads.