JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man, 39, died Friday night in Jacksonville after he tried to walk across Philips Highway near The Avenues mall and was hit by two vehicles, one after the other.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the man was crossing from the east side of the highway toward the west, just north of Southside Boulevard, at about 8 p.m. A Honda SUV and a Ford Explorer were both heading south in the center lane. He stepped out in front of them, and troopers said the Honda struck him first, followed by the Ford.
Crews from Jacksonville Fire and Rescue rushed him to Memorial Hospital, but he could not be saved. Both drivers walked away without injuries. The highway patrol has not released his name.
Every southbound lane near the mall stayed closed for hours as troopers worked the scene, which the highway patrol listed as a fatal crash at about 8:25 p.m., and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office sent drivers through the nearby Main Event parking lot to get around the closure.
The stretch is one of the busier corridors on the Southside. A sheriff’s office list of the city’s most frequent crash locations for 2025 ranked University Boulevard West at Philips Highway third, with 221 crashes, and Baymeadows Road at Southside Boulevard fifth, with 196. The list counts crashes of every kind and does not break them down by severity.
The highway patrol has not said whether either driver will face charges. The crash remains under investigation by troopers, who had not said by Saturday when or how the final report would be released.
Section: More Jacksonville FL crime news
Filed under: Jacksonville FL Traffic News
