According to News4JAX, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responded to a fatal crash outside the Costco Wholesale store in the Town Center area on Friday afternoon, with investigators also working a separate hit-and-run just nearby. Drivers were urged to steer clear of the stretch of Gate Parkway as officers worked both scenes.
Two Scenes, One Stretch of Road
According to News4JAX, JSO confirmed it was responding to a hit-and-run in the same area as the fatal crash near the Town Center Costco. The outlet reported that it remains unclear whether the two incidents are connected in any way.
News4JAX reported that its crew saw what appeared to be a body in the road at the scene.
A Stretch of Road With a History
This is not the first deadly crash to strike Gate Parkway this year. Back in February, a man died after an SUV struck the Coleman minibike he was riding on the same roadway beneath JT Butler Boulevard, per the earlier News4JAX account and according to First Coast News. JSO said at the time that the rider had been traveling southbound in the middle lane of Gate Parkway at approximately 1:10 a.m.
In that February case, the SUV driver remained at the scene and cooperated with detectives, and JSO said the crash marked the 25th traffic fatality recorded in Duval County that year, as reported by First Coast News. Whether Friday's fatal crash and hit-and-run share any connection to each other remains an open question that investigators have not yet answered.
