Man killed crossing I-95 to aid his daughter-in-law

Historic City News learned that traffic has resumed in northwest St Johns County this morning after a man was struck and killed while attempting to cross the traffic lanes of northbound I-95 near International Golf Parkway at mile marker 324. He was trying to assist his daughter-in-law, 61-year-old Patricia Ann Harris, who resides at 2925 7th Street, north of SR-16 in St Augustine, with her disabled vehicle when the crash occurred; at about 5:33 a.m. this morning.

All lanes of northbound traffic on I-95 were shut down for hours after the arrival of Florida Highway Patrol traffic homicide investigators at 6:01 a.m., according to FHP Troop G Sergeant, Dylan Bryan, in a televised interview from the scene this morning.

It is believed that the daughter-in-law’s vehicle overheated, so she pulled to the shoulder of the Interstate and used her cell phone to call a family member for assistance. The victim, 82-year-old Charles Burnice Sherrill, who lived at 10165 Terrell Pappy Road in Saint Johns, approached the disabled vehicle from the outside southbound lane, stopping against the center guard rail.

Bryan reported that the victim crossed over the guard rail, walked across the northbound lanes of traffic, carrying the items he needed to assist his daughter-in-law. “He was struck in the right lane,” Bryan said. “The driver that struck him, and immediately pulled over, did not realize what he had hit; because his attention was diverted to what he believed were the disabled vehicles on both sides of the roadway.”

The investigation revealed that the driver who struck the victim exited his vehicle, trying to figure out what he had hit, because it was a significant impact, and, at that time, witnessed additional vehicles running over the victim in the roadway. “At that point he realized it was a human body,” Bryan told reporters. “He immediately called 9-1-1 and has been very cooperative with our investigation.”

No charges have been filed thus-far as the investigation is continuing.