JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 15-year-old Jacksonville girl is recovering from surgery after being struck by a car Wednesday on 103rd Street, a road long plagued by speeding complaints.
Now, her family is demanding action before another child is hurt.
Jada Taylor underwent surgery to repair broken bones below her knee following the crash. Her father, Derrick Taylor, and his fiancée, Maalana Attar, spoke with News4Jax about their daughter’s condition and their frustration with traffic on the heavily traveled road.
“She’s gonna have some scars, but she’s going to be okay. But mentally, that’s what we’re gonna have to work on, it was traumatizing. It was a life-changing experience,” Taylor said.
The couple described a dangerous scene near the area where students regularly walk. According to a witness account relayed by Attar, the driver had been stopped at a red light, became distracted, and accelerated into the intersection when traffic began moving — striking Jada before he could react.
“Around the time that they get out of school, you can clearly see that it’s a bunch of kids. You need to slow down,” Attar said. “They have uniforms on. A lot of them. It’s over 20 some kids.”
Taylor echoed that frustration, pushing back on any suggestion that pedestrians are at fault.
“They’re saying it’s the kids’ fault for crossing the street, but the cars are just speeding for no reason, when they know the kids get out of school around that time,” he said.
The family also noted the absence of crossing guards along the stretch.
“There’s no crossing guards out,” Taylor said. “I’m guessing because it is a high school and they’re teenagers, but no, that is too busy right there at that crossway,” Attar added.
Taylor told News4Jax that Jada was issued a ticket in connection with the crash. Florida Highway Patrol has been contacted for additional details on the incident.
Calls for road safety improvements on 103rd Street are not new. News4JAX had already spoken with Jacksonville City Council District 9 representative Tyrona Clark-Murray about the ongoing issues, days before Wednesday’s crash occurred.
Clark-Murray acknowledged the problem but pointed to a critical jurisdictional hurdle: 103rd Street is a state road, not a city road, meaning any changes require approval and coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation.
“Anything we try to do to the road, we would need their permission, and we would have to pay for it,” Clark-Murray said. “There are so many aspects to wanting to make that road safer.”
Clark-Murray said improving 103rd Street has been a top priority since she joined city council in 2022, and that she has had multiple conversations with FDOT about how to make the corridor safer.
For Derrick Taylor, the issue is simple: drivers need to pay attention.
“Pay attention to these kids, they come from school and just slow down, because anything can happen,” he said.
News4JAX has also reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation for comment on the crash and the broader safety concerns on 103rd Street. We did not receive an immediate response.
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