A man sprang into action to finally remove the debris from the victims and guide paramedics to the injured.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash that injured 5 people, including two children, after a tractor-trailer rammed into a hardware store.
It happened Friday night on the Westside of Jacksonville at Ace Hardware on the corner of Cahoon Road and West Beaver Street. Police said at this time it is not known what caused the accident, but four vehicles were involved.
After the accident, a man rushed to help, eventually removing the debris from the victims and guiding paramedics to the injured.
“There wasn’t much going through my mind. I was like, I had to walk in there, I had to make sure these people were okay,” Nick McDonald, a Good Samaritan.
Nick McDonald says he was at home when he heard the accident. He came to the store to investigate and immediately jumped on some ace gear to help.
“He started screaming for help. And I could barely hear him and I moved a bunch of debris and I found him I could only see his head so I started cleaning up the debris I put a shirt behind his head and I was like we needed paramedics here fast,” McDonald said.
McDonald captured cellphone video showing the times when paramedics arrived. They can be seen moving through the rubble at the front of the tractor-trailer, the camera pans to show the hole in the storefront.
“All the paramedics lined up and got the debris out, and just made a path for them to get the guys out of there,” McDonald said.
A total of 5 victims including 3 with serious injuries. First Coast News learned that two of the injured are Dennis and Keith Bennett, co-owners of the store.
“The Bennetts have always been around, they’ve always been the most hospitable people,” said family friend Billy Rutland.
The family arrived at the scene to inspect the damage. Although not filmed, they told Firstcoast News the injured Bennetts were still in hospital.
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Many neighbors have come to see the aftermath saying Bennett Ace Hardware is an integral part of the community
“You know it’s going to be tough times for the families, but they’ve had a lot of love and support from the community because they’ve been a fixture here for so many years,” Rutland said.
The family tells Firstcoast News that the tractor-trailer is expected to be removed on Thursday, we are still awaiting an update on the conditions of these victims.
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