JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A memorial was unveiled in the Rolling River Estates neighborhood on the Northside honoring the life of a 14-year-old who was killed while crossing the street two years ago. Saturday morning, neighbors gathered at the site and honored the teen's life with a morning prayer while celebrating the new speed bumps installed on the street after calls for improved safety.
“I actually spoke with the family about putting the sign up, and they agreed with it," Judy Wards, a neighborhood association member who advocated for the speed bumps, said.
14 year old James Askew was on an electric scooter, crossing Rolling River Boulevard in November of 2021, when he was struck by a vehicle. Police say there was no crosswalk where the scooter was crossing, and investigators did not believe the driver was speeding.
This accident pushed members of the homeowner’s association, like Judy Ward, to call for action.
“We had put in for the speed bumps about a year before this accident actually happened, so this accident happening pushed me even more to get the speed bumps so his death wouldn’t be in vain," Ward said.
The accident happened during former-council member Reggie Gaffney Sr’s tenure. He spent months with the homeowner association petitioning for improved safety measures in the neighborhood.
When his son Reggie Gaffney Jr was elected to represent the district, he continued that fight.
“Hopefully we’ll never have a tragic accident like this again, so I’m very thankful for the community because they held me accountable, they called me day in day out," Reggie Gaffney Jr, Council member representing district 7, said.
Two years later, the speed bumps are in place, and Askew’s name forever memorialized on this sign.
“It means a lot seeing the speed bumps here, it’s a great accomplishment for the community," Ward said. "So we won’t have an accident like this happen again.”