A dark, unlit stretch of Sandridge Road turned deadly late Thursday when a 14-year-old Lake Asbury boy was hit and killed while stopped on a motorized scooter in a westbound travel lane, just west of Verbena Parkway in Clay County. The crash happened a little after 11 p.m., and the teenager was ejected from the scooter and later pronounced dead, authorities said.
According to troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol, the scooter had no lighting and was stopped in the road when a 16-year-old Green Cove Springs boy, driving a sedan westbound, failed to see it and struck the scooter with the front right of his car, News4JAX reported. A 17-year-old girl driving an SUV then hit the rear of the sedan. Neither of the teen drivers was injured, according to authorities.
Troopers' Account
Troopers told News4JAX that the scooter did not have any lighting at the time of the crash, a detail investigators say likely made the rider even harder to see on the already unlit roadway. The Florida Highway Patrol says the case remains under investigation as troopers work to sort out the sequence of events that led up to the late-night collision.
Road Safety and Local Context
Sandridge Road is already on Clay County's radar for upgrades. It appears in the county's mobility fee plan for the Lake Asbury and Green Cove Springs district, which calls for improvements such as bike lanes and pedestrian features, according to Clay County. Hoodline has previously noted that planned night work on Sandridge Road has affected traffic patterns, a reminder that this corridor is in the middle of longer-term infrastructure changes.
Investigation and Next Steps
Authorities have released only the ages and hometowns of those involved, and no names have been made public. The Florida Highway Patrol is leading the investigation and, as of the initial report, troopers have not announced any charges.
