JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office informed First Coast News that the driver of the pickup truck, responsible for colliding with a car on Thursday night, has been taken into custody.
The collision occurred around 9:30 p.m. in the 8400 block of Merrill Road, resulting in the tragic deaths of three family members.
According to the police, the family was driving westbound on Merrill Road in a small 4-door coupe, while a Ford F250 crew cab operated by Orlando Lopez Vazquez, 40, was heading southbound on Hartsfield Road. The F250’s front collided with the passenger’s side of the coupe, causing both vehicles to veer off the road to the south of Merrill Road.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office stated that two occupants in the coupe were declared deceased at the accident site, and another individual passed away after being transported to a local hospital.
Although both drivers survived the collision, the coupe’s driver was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. The ages of the deceased family members were in their 80s, 50s, and 20s, while the couple’s driver is in their 50s, as per JSO’s information.
Eyewitnesses reported to JSO that the F250 was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes just before the impact occurred. Officers present at the scene detected an alcohol odor on Lopez and noted that during questioning, he appeared to be disoriented about his location.
