Jacksonville man jumps into action to help save victims thrown from RV in deadly crash on I-295

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — One person was killed and five others were hospitalized after an RV flipped onto its side on I-295 Monday morning.

Action News Jax spoke exclusively with a witness to that crash who described why he made the decision to help.

We reported Monday when the crash happened just before 11:30 a.m. northbound on the beltway near the Old St. Augustine Road exit -- shutting down traffic for hours.

Jimmy Hughey said he was running errands when he saw something out of place.

“It dawned on me that it was a motorhome -- an RV in the ditch,” Hughey said. “I said that just doesn’t make sense. You need to stop.”

He said, without hesitation, he called 9-1-1. He counted the victims who had been thrown from the RV and tried to bring some peace to those who were waiting for help to arrive.

“I told them don’t move anybody because it could make the injuries worse,” Hughey said.

Hughey is the Director of Pet Death at the Jacksonville Pet Funeral Home and Pet Cremation Center. He said it’s in his nature to step in and help when someone is in need.

FHP said the driver of the RV was a 79-year-old man from Kansas who lost control and hit a car.

According to officials, two others were thrown from the RV when it overturned on its side. One of those passengers, a 48-year-old Tulsa, Oklahoma man, died at the scene.

FHP said he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

“He had this arm like he was trying to lift,” Hughey said. “I looked at his chest, and I didn’t see any rise and fall of his breathing. I could see his abdomen extending.”

Hughey said he helped a woman in the vehicle that was also impacted by the wreck. He said the woman needed someone to stay with her, bringing comfort to the woman’s family who was calling her.

“She came close to something horrible, but she was breathing,” Hughey said. “She was talking. There was glass everywhere.”

Officials said the driver of the RV is expected to be okay, but the three other passengers, Kansas men ranging in age from 61 to 75 are seriously hurt.

A 65-year-old Jacksonville woman who was driving the car has minor injuries.

“This is my job,” Hughey said. “I help people daily, and I talk to people daily. My job is to read body language and to figure out and help people figure out the scenario. I was right there in the middle of it.”

Hughey says without a doubt, he’d step in to help again. However, what he saw and heard Monday morning remains a vivid picture in his mind.

“I didn’t do anything other than try to comfort people,” Hughey said.

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