JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — According to Florida Highway Patrol at least one person is dead as result of a traffic accident on the Buckman bridge. It happened shortly before 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
FHP Sgt. Dylan Bryan explained what exactly happened.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
“Preliminary investigation shows that a Road Ranger truck that was patrolling the interstate system had struck the rear of another vehicle and subsequently put that other vehicle over the railing over the bridge and into the water of the St. Johns River,” Sgt. Bryan said.
This is what the scene looked like on the Buckman Bridge on Tuesday morning close to 7 a.m. Two cranes and over a dozen law enforcement officers on site blocked off both outer lanes of the Buckman bridge going northbound as rescue efforts began.
A few hours later a car was pulled out of the St. Johns River. A picture from FHP’s Twitter page showed broken glass from the accident.
At this time FHP says all that they are focused on is trying to find out exactly why this happened and trying to find out the identities of the victims.
Watch: Buckman Bridge safety changes investigation
According to a report from FHP at least one person has died as a result of this car crash. A man in his early 60′s.
FHP says they spoke with the road ranger driver who is physically okay.
“As far as charges that is to be concluded at the end of the investigation,” Sgt. Bryan said.
Action News Jax did get on a boat with Captain Tyler Barrus who gave the crew a look at where today’s fatal traffic accident happened. Barrus is the lead instructor for learning how to ride boats at Julington Creek Marina & The Freedom Boat Club which is not far from the Buckman bridge.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Barrus is also a retired detective with the U.S. Coast Guard. He said the following pertaining to life saving tips that are important to note if you ever find yourself in your car and submerging under water.
- Roll your windows down ASAP so you can swim out of your car in time. You need to do this because your car will lose electricity within 1 to 2 minutes of being submerged in water.
- When the car starts sinking, the water pressure outside the car will make opening the car door impossible, no matter how strong you are. Barrus says you should wait until the car fully fills up with water for the pressure on the inside and outside of the car to equalize.