Driver in critical condition after crash into tree

Historic City News received a report from Kevin Kelshaw, media relations officer for the St Johns County Sheriff’s Office, that just after midnight this morning, a crash off King’s Road sent two local residents to the hospital; the driver reportedly was injured seriously.

The investigation is continuing, however, traffic units and major crimes detectives at the scene believe that speed was a factor when the driver, 34-year-old Babette Yonako Cope, left the roadway and struck a tree in the 1100 block of Cherry Tree Road.

Both occupants of the vehicle appeared to have significant injuries. St Johns Fire Rescue called in an air ambulance to transfer the patients to the trauma unit at UF Health Jacksonville.

After treatment for his injuries, the passenger, 28-year-old Joey Bloomer, was released from the hospital this morning. The driver remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to Kelshaw.