JACKSONVILLE. Fla. — UPDATE 1/15/2022: The owners of the family-owned Ace Hardware store spent Saturday putting up a containment structure around the storefront. One of the owner’s is still in the ICU.
“They were really loving helping people. No issues with them. They’d help you with anything they could, I mean they was just good people,” said Melissa McCall, a neighbor in the area.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is still investigating what led to the crash.
McCall said the intersection of Cahoon Road and Beaver Street, where the store is located, is very dangerous.
“It’s terrible for speeding through here. I mean it’s 35 and they’re doing 50, 60, 70 miles an hour,” McCall said.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Five people were taken to the hospital after a sand truck crashed into a building on Jacksonville’s Westside on Friday evening.
The truck crashed into Bennett’s Ace Hardware on West Beaver Street at Cahoon Road and crews with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, including the hazmat team and special operations team, responded.
JFRD was able to stabilize the building and started looking for victims.
Three adults and two kids were injured. Four of those five people had to be extricated from vehicles or building rubble.
The crash also caused a fuel leak and 52 gallons of fuel was drained from the truck and secured.
JFRD said the building is a total loss and the family who owns the store were also among injured.
At this time, it is not known what caused the crash. No firefighters were hurt.
Beaver Street is closed in both directions at Cahoon Road. JFRD says to avoid the area.
This is a developing story that will be updated once more information becomes available.