The crash left an 18-year-old dead and 21-year-old Scott Hakes hospitalized with six broken ribs, a fractured eye socket, a broken nose and a shattered femur.
CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A 21-year-old Jacksonville man says he’s thankful to be alive after surviving a deadly wrong-way crash near Clay High School Wednesday morning.
Florida Highway Patrol says an 18-year-old driver was traveling west in the eastbound lane of State Road 16 when his vehicle clipped another truck, then slammed head-on into a pickup driven by Scott Hakes.
The 18-year-old, who was from Green Cove Springs, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hakes spoke with First Coast News from his hospital bed, recounting the terrifying moments leading up to the crash.
“When it happened, I was like, damn, is this it? Or am I gonna be able to make it out?” Hakes said. “That car came in my lane and smoked me, smoked the hell out of me fast.”
He never lost consciousness but says the impact left him with six broken ribs, a fractured eye socket, a broken nose and a shattered femur.
Hakes’ mother, Teresa, says she received the call early Wednesday morning that no parent ever wants to get.
“It was horrible,” she said. “It’s not a call you wanna get at six or seven o’clock in the morning that your child’s been in a car accident much less a head-on collision. My son made it. I don’t know why, but God works in mysterious ways.”
Their family says it could take months before Hakes is able to walk again. As he recovers, he and his other half, a stay-at-home mom, are facing financial uncertainty while caring for their baby.
Through it all, Hakes says his thoughts remain with the 18-year-old’s family.
“It sucks,” Hakes said. “He was 18, a young fellow like me. He didn’t deserve to lose his life that young.
Troopers confirmed the teenager who died was not a student at Clay High School. Hakes has already undergone surgery and says his focus now is on recovery and gratitude.
The family has set up a GoFundMe. You can click here for more.