Jacksonville, Florida: Man Killed in Head-On Crash on Commonwealth Avenue at Imeson Road, All Lanes Shut Down

A man was killed early Saturday in Jacksonville when a pickup truck crossed into oncoming traffic on Commonwealth Avenue and struck his car head on at Imeson Road, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said. The crash shut down all lanes of Commonwealth Avenue at Imeson Road on Saturday morning while investigators worked at the scene.

What investigators say happened

The crash happened just before 4 a.m. on Saturday. A Toyota pickup truck was traveling westbound on Commonwealth Avenue when it veered into the eastbound lanes and collided with a Volkswagen sedan, according to investigators. The force of the impact flipped the pickup onto its side, and the Volkswagen came to rest along the shoulder of the road.

The driver of the Volkswagen was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities have not released his name or age, and they said the release waits on notifying his family first. The driver of the Toyota pickup sustained minor injuries and declined transport to a hospital. Police said he is cooperating with investigators. Both vehicles carried only the driver at the time of the crash, according to the reports.

All lanes closed at Imeson Road

The sheriff's office reported a traffic fatality at Commonwealth Avenue and Imeson Road on Saturday morning and shut down all lanes there, telling drivers to avoid the area and use alternate routes. The closure was still the lead traffic item on Jacksonville station pages late Saturday morning, hours after the crash, as the investigation continued at the intersection.

Commonwealth Avenue is a working east west road on Jacksonville's west side, and a full closure at Imeson Road pushes Saturday morning traffic onto the surrounding streets while detectives measure the scene and clear the vehicles.

The questions that remain open

The sheriff's Traffic Homicide Unit is leading the investigation into why the pickup left its lane. Detectives said they are examining speed, impairment and distracted driving as potential factors in the crash. They are also working to establish whether either driver was wearing a seat belt.

No charges were reported in the accounts published on Saturday, and police have not said when the road fully reopened. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. The man's name will be a public fact only when officials release it, and this article will be updated in place if the sheriff's office publishes the name or a finding on the cause.