JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Three people were injured in a crash that involved a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office police officer and community service officer on I-95 near Myrtle Avenue Tuesday, police said.
Just after 11 a.m., the Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department confirmed that three people were taken to the hospital.
At a 1:15 p.m. briefing, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the incident began with an SUV that rolled over during a crash. A JSO officer stopped to check on the driver of the SUV and was joined by a community service officer who was checking on the crash.
They went down into the grass where the car had flipped over and made sure the driver was okay. The driver was okay, so the officers returned to their vehicles to begin filing paperwork.
A driver lost control of his vehicle as he was passing the area and slid off the roadway, hitting both officers and rolling into the grass -- where it struck the driver of the SUV, police said.
The driver of the SUV is now in critical condition, suffering life-threatening injuries.
The officers were both taken to the hospital with injuries, but are stable.
The inside lane of I95 Southbound was blocked at 1:15 p.m. and was expected to remain blocked for the next two or three hours. Traffic flow is affected due to a large first responder response and onlookers slowing to look at the crash.
Sgt. Robert Hungerford said the accident could have been caused by heavy rain. "When it rains, you do need to slow down, turn your lights, and use caution... just use caution."