Family of three killed in Arlington crash, driver of truck that hit them arrested for DUI
Three people are dead following a crash Thursday night on Merrill Road in the Arlington area and a man has been arrested for DUI.
Jacksonville police say a family was traveling west on Merrill in a Honda Fit when a Ford F-250 headed south on Hartsfield Road, driven by 40-year-old Orlando Lopez Vazquez, hit the passenger side of their car.
Two people were pronounced dead on scene, a third passed away at the hospital. The driver has life-threatening injuries. Police say the victims were a woman in her 80s, a woman in her 50s and a man in his 20s.
The driver who is hospitalized is a man in his 50s.
Witnesses tell police that Vazquez was driving the wrong way on Hartsfield just prior to impact.
In addition to six DUI-related counts, Vazquez is also facing charges of driving on the wrong lane or side and fail to stop at a steady red light.
Police say this crash brings to 119 the number of people killed in traffic crashes in Duval County this year.
