JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 The Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens released a statement on Friday saying that it is working with officials to strengthen traffic safety measures in the surrounding area.<\/p>\n
RELATED:4 kindergarten students hurt when semi smashes back of school bus crossing train tracks on Zoo Parkway<\/a>|\u2018At least 8\u2019 students taken to hospital after another school bus crash on Zoo Parkway, DCPS says<\/a><\/p>\n The statement comes after the school bus accidents that happened within a week of each other.<\/p>\n We are deeply concerned by the recent school bus and car accidents along\u00a0Zoo\u00a0Parkway and are keeping the students, families, and all those affected in our thoughts. The safety and well-being of our community, especially children visiting the\u00a0Zoo, is always our top priority.<\/p>\n These incidents underscore the urgent need to strengthen traffic safety measures in the area surrounding the\u00a0Zoo. We are actively working with local partners to advance these efforts and we continue to strongly support implementing additional safeguards, including a traffic signal at the intersection of\u00a0Zoo\u00a0Parkway and Haydon Road, along with enhanced signage, traffic calming measures, and increased driver awareness throughout the corridor.<\/p>\n We remain committed to working alongside the City of Jacksonville, the Florida Department of Transportation, and local partners to help advance solutions that improve safety for everyone in our community.<\/p>\n Nikki Smith, spokesperson for the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens<\/p>\n Last week, students from San Pablo Elementary were heading to the zoo for a field trip when a semi-truck rear-ended their school bus. The school district said four kindergarten students were injured. However, the crash report shows five patients were taken to the hospital that day.<\/p>\n Back of school bus crumpled in crash with semi on Zoo Parkway (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n According to crash data from the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office, 37 crashes happened near the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens over the past six months. One of those crashes was fatal.<\/p>\n The most recent crash, described as a \u201cminor crash,\u201d happened on Wednesday. Eight children and one adult were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The students were from John E. Ford Elementary School and were returning from a zoo field trip.<\/p>\n School bus involved in crash on Zoo Parkway (WJXT)<\/p>\n