ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Calls for safety along state route A1A are ringing out in St Johns County following a crash that left one pedestrian dead and another injured while they tried to cross the road.
Many St Johns county residents, like Jagger Ong-Patzwald, come to the beach every week, crossing A1A to get to the sand. He and his friends always park by a pedestrian bridge for safety.
“We come here, we park here, and we know we have this bridge here,"Jagger Ong-Patzwald, a Flagler College student, said.
They think more pedestrian bridges in the area will help others get to the beach without any risk.
"I’ve actually walked down there before and there’s not that many bridges, there’s a lot of houses and there are neighbors in the area back there, and I feel like if they want to get to the beach they have to kinda cross the road there. So if there was a bridge further down there, I feel like it would make it a lot safer," Ong-Patzwald said.
Just down the street from this bridge, two pedestrians were struck by a van while crossing the A1A. A 65-year-old man lost his life, and a 63-year-old woman was sent to the hospital with injuries. Calls for improved safety followed the accident.
“The FDOT state and local regional levels have been looking at the issues. We have an upcoming Hot systems study for crosswalk placement," Sallie O’Hara, the executive director of Vilano Beach Main St. said.
According to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle Crash Report Dashboard, in St John’s County in 2020 there were 53 total pedestrian crashes with four fatalities. In 2021, those numbers increased to 75 crashes with nine fatalities.
With numbers rising, groups like Vilano Beach Main St are also focusing on education.
“Focus on the road be mindful of cyclists be mindful of pedestrians and respect our community, and slow down," O’Hara, said.
No charges have been announced in relation to the accident at this time.