FHP: Man killed when Road Ranger knocks vehicle over Buckman Bridge into the St. Johns River

Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union
·3 min read
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Crews try to get to a submerged car toppled over the Buckman Bridge after being hit by a Road Ranger truck early Feb. 28, 2023,, in Jacksonville.
Crews try to get to a submerged car toppled over the Buckman Bridge after being hit by a Road Ranger truck early Feb. 28, 2023,, in Jacksonville.

A state Road Ranger pickup truck crashed into another pickup Tuesday morning on the Buckman Bridge sending it over the concrete barrier into the river, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Master Sgt. Dylan Bryan said no one was seen exiting the truck that plunged into the water. It happened about 3:30 a.m. while the Florida Department of Transportation motorist-assistance driver was on routine patrol in Jacksonville.

A 61-year-old Jacksonville man died in the collision, according to the crash report. The Road Ranger was a 23-year-old man, also from Jacksonville, whose injuries were listed as minor.

It was too early to determine the circumstances, but tire skidmarks were evident at the scene on the northbound lane and shoulder. Crews from the FHP, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and fire department were able to locate the submerged vehicle under the bridge, Bryan said.

By 8:30 a.m. they pulled the pickup from the water. No other occupants were listed. Meanwhile, traffic backed up for hours and miles.

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The state's Road Ranger program helps drivers with things such as flat tires and also clears debris from roads to try to keep traffic flowing and safe.

Its "mission is to provide free highway assistance services during incidents to reduce delay and improve safety for the motoring public and responders," according to the Department of Transportation website. "The Road Rangers are roving vehicles that patrol congested areas and high-incident locations of the freeway, and provide a direct service to motorists by quickly clearing travel lanes of minor incidents and assisting motorists."

The FDOT said it will investigate the crash in addition to the Highway Patrol.

For years the Buckman's guardrail and its height have been scrutinized due to vehicles toppling over the safety barriers.

A Florida Department of Transportation Road Ranger remains on the scene of a deadly crash after the truck hit another pickup on the Buckman Bridge, knocking it over the barricade into the St. Johns River on Tuesday in Jacksonville.
A Florida Department of Transportation Road Ranger remains on the scene of a deadly crash after the truck hit another pickup on the Buckman Bridge, knocking it over the barricade into the St. Johns River on Tuesday in Jacksonville.

The concrete barriers are built to federal standards of 2 feet, 8 inches high and are designed to redirect swerving cars back into the road lane, according to a previous story published in the Times-Union. But violent collisions have still caused vehicles to go airborne over the railing.

In 2015 the Florida Department of Transportation conducted a study after several deadly crashes and two vehicles that plummeted into the river from 2009 to 2014.

In the short term, the department called for increased police patrols on Interstate 295 over the Buckman to help reduce traffic fatalities and gridlock. The study concluded the bridge's design was not to blame for any fatalities there.

In the long term, the department called for the installation of message boards to provide real-time traffic information.

The study also concluded there was nothing wrong with the railing, which adheres to state and national standards for "crash worthiness," according to the report.

"Driver error is the clear leading cause in crashes on the Buckman Bridge," the report said.

Apparent skid marks are highlighted where a car crashed over the concrete barrier on the Buckman Bridge when struck by a Road Ranger truck early Tuesday in Jacksonville.
Apparent skid marks are highlighted where a car crashed over the concrete barrier on the Buckman Bridge when struck by a Road Ranger truck early Tuesday in Jacksonville.

"There is no research available to suggest that raising the railing height would eliminate the possibility of a vehicle departing the bridge," the summary said. It stated that altering the railing type would not reduce the number of crashes, "even by a single crash."

The study also reported the average speed on the bridge from 2010 to 2015 is 72 miles per hour, about 11% higher than the posted limit of 65 mph. It recommended working with the FHP to shore up the enforcement of that limit to reduce the number of crashes.

The 3.1-mile Buckman was built as a four-lane bridge in 1970 and widened to eight lanes at a cost of $80 million in the mid-1990s. In 2005 the Transportation Department remodeled the barrier on the Shands Bridge in Clay County to 2 feet, 10 inches after a pair of fatal crashes, according to Times-Union archives.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville man killed when Road Ranger knocks vehicle off Buckman Bridge