JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Sheriff's Office told First Coast News, On Your Side that the pickup truck driver who slammed into a car Thursday night has been arrested. Three members of a family were killed in the wreck at around 9:30 p.m. in the 8400 block of Merrill Road.
Police say the family was westbound on Merrill Road in a small 4-door coupe as a Ford F250 crew cab, driven by Orlando Lopez Vazquez, 40, was traveling southbound on Hartsfield Road. Police said the front of F250 struck the passenger's side of the coupe, which forced both vehicles off the roadway, south of Merrill Road.
JSO says two passengers in the coupe were pronounced dead at the scene and a third passed at a local hospital. Police say both drivers survived the crash but, the driver of the coupe was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The three deceased family members were in their 80s, 50s, 20s and the driver of the coupe, is in their 50s, JSO says.
Witnesses told JSO that the F250 was southbound in the northbound lanes just prior to impact.
Officers on the scene said Lopez "smelled of alcohol." While being questioned, the suspect also told officers he was confused about where he was.
