“It was a mess”: Neighbors worry about dangerous bus route along Jones Road

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A school bus with nine children and the driver on board collided with another car and crashed into some trees in a ditch along Jones Road in Northwest Jacksonville on Wednesday. The driver had minor injuries but did not need to go to the hospital. Two children were taken to the hospital also with minor injuries.

The father of one of the children told Action News Jax his daughter is now back from the hospital on Thursday and is doing OK.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating what led up to the crash. In a statement, Students Transportation of America stated, “The health and safety of our passengers and employees remains our top priority, and STA is working collaboratively with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as it conducts its investigation into the incident.”

Neighbors along Jones Road fear if changes don’t come soon, another crash could be just around the corner. Tommie Barnett has lived on the road for 15 years. She came up on the crash on Wednesday afternoon on her drive home.

“As I pulled up closer, I saw there was an accident — and I saw the bus,” she told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant. “I hope the driver and the kids are OK. That was my first thought.”

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The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office reported everyone will be OK. However, Barnett said the road is dangerous and prone to crashes.

“It’s not wide enough, first of all. I mean, I’ve had run over my mailbox, run off the road, dump trucks run off the edge of the road,” she said.

Grant saw there is no shoulder along the road. Barnett said speeding is also a problem. Records show another bus crash in September 2020 just less than a mile away at a railroad crossing at the corner of Cisco and Jones Road.

According to police records, a school bus was rear-ended, and one person was injured in the crash.

Action News Jax has requested the accident report from Wednesday’s bus crash and will update this story with more information when it is received.

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