JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two people died after an tree fell on an SUV on the Northside just before noon Thursday, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue confirmed.
The oak tree fell across the road, striking the car mid-drive, according to News 6 partner WJXT-TV.
JFRD said the incident happened on Lem Turner and Braddock Road, not far from the Jacksonville International Airport.
The West Nassau High School athletic director told News4Jax that Carrie Higginbotham, a math teacher at the school, died in the crash. She said that the 37-year-old’s father was also in the SUV and died.
The high school posted on Facebook:
Drivers following behind the car say they were horrified.
“I cried and I prayed instantly... that’s all I could do,” Nicole Wheeler, a woman driving behind the car, said.
The Florida Highway Patrol is handling the investigation. The man, who was not identified, was 68-years-old, FHP said.