NEED TO KNOW
An 18-year-old man was killed in a head-on collision in Clay County, Florida, on Oct. 22At the time of the accident, the 18-year-old was driving the wrong direction on State Road 16Two other vehicles were involved in the accident, with one driver, identified as Scott Hakes, seriously injured and the other unharmed
A young dad is recovering after a teen hit him in a fatal head-on collision in Clay County, Florida, on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The 18-year-old was driving the wrong way at the time of the crash, and died at the scene.
The unidentified 18-year-old was driving a sedan westbound in the eastbound lane of State Road 16 near Clay High School in Green Cove Springs around 6:50 a.m. local time when the crash occurred on Wednesday, Florida Highway Patrol told local news outlet News Jax 4. Florida Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The teen rear-ended a pickup truck driving westbound. The 38-year-old driver of that vehicle was uninjured. The 18-year-old continued on in the sedan, before crashing head-on with another pickup truck, driven by 21-year-old Scott Hakes, Action News Jax reported.
The 18-year-old died on-site, while Hakes, of Jacksonville, was transported to a nearby hospital in serious condition, both outlets said.
No one involved in the crash was a student or faculty member at the high school, despite its proximity to the crash site, First Coast News reported.
State Road 16 remained blocked for some time on Wednesday as authorities responded to the scene, according to Action News Jax.
In an interview with Action News, Hakes said the crash happened quickly: “Before I could blink or even think to do anything, that car took up my lane.”
“There was a point where I was like, ‘Damn, this is my last day,’ ” Hakes said, speaking to Action News Jax from his hospital bed, “but I had to, kinda, stay strong. I got a daughter at the house. But it looks like I might be alright.”
According to a GoFundMe page created by Tatum Collins, Hakes, a young dad, “will be out of work for an extended period as he heals.”
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“At home, his other half— a stay-at-home-mom — who is caring for their baby, and the family will have no income during this time,” the GoFundMe’s creator said.
The goal of the fundraiser is to support Hakes’ medical bills and basic necessities while he’s out of work.