JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three children were seriously injured Friday afternoon when an SUV flipped in a crash as it merged onto Interstate 295, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The accident happened about 1:10 p.m. Friday on I-295 at 103rd Street.
Troopers said a Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by 32-year-old Lovell Jones and that carrying five children was on the entrance ramp 103rd Street to northbound I-295 and failed to yield to a Mercedes-Benz with a 63-year-old driver in the outside lane of I-295.
The FHP report said the Trailblazer hit the right side of the Mercedes-Benz, causing both vehicles to veer right off the highway. Troopers said the Trailblazer rolled several times before coming to a rest in the upright position on the east shoulder.
Three of the children were taken to UF Health with serious injuries. The other two children and the driver in the Trailblazer were also injured with minor injuries and taken to Wolfson Children's Hospital. Troopers said the driver of the Mercedes-Benz was also taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The ages of the children ranged from an infant to 11 years old.
Troopers said there were child car seats in the Trailblazer, but no one in the SUV was wearing seat belts.
One northbound lane was closed at the entrance ramp from 103rd Street for about a hour due to the crash.