Clay County ,FL : Five adults die in Clay County head-on crash on State Road 21 Tuesday , June 16th 2015

Two children injured in a deadly head-on crash Tuesday on State Road 21 have been moved to Wolfson Children's Hospital and remain in critical but stable condition.

The crash, which happened just south of Camp Blanding, killed five adults, including the children's parents, and sent 2-year-old Madison Eden and 4-year-old Daniel Eden III to the hospital. The children's aunt and uncle were at the hospital Wednesday.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a Toyota Camry headed north on State Road 21 near Camp Blanding just before 3 p.m. drifted across the yellow dividing lines of the road and hit a Nissan Altima driven by 22-year-old Chelsea Johnson, of Melrose.

Officials have identified the driver of the Camry as 29-year-old Daniel Eden, of Sistersville, West Virginia. Brandy Eden, 24; Rebecca Bates, 46; and David Eden, 31, were passengers in the Camry. None of the adults were wearing seat belts and all four died from their injuries.

Madison and 4-year-old Daniel, both of Sistersville, West Virginia, were also in the Camry and survived the crash. They were taken to UF Health Jacksonville in critical condition but were later moved to Wolfson.

According to FHP Capt. Keith Gaston, the children survived the accident thanks to the car seats that they were buckled in to.

"It's a testament to child seats and having them buckled in properly," Gaston said.

The wreck is putting new focus on the highway, which some drivers complain is not safe. They said speeding, tail-gating and attempting to pass on the two-lane road are major concerns.

“It happens a lot down here,” driver James Harrell said. “You look down there, you'll see a lot of crosses on the side of the road. They're there for a reason, you know?"

Just a few days ago, the Clay County Sheriff's Office posted online that it would be stepping up patrols on the road. Electronic signs placed along the road warn drivers to slow down.

"The cops need to patrol out here better for speeders," driver Kim Cox said.

News4Jax set up cameras near where the accident happened and captured video of how heat waves coming off the dip in the road can make it difficult to see oncoming traffic.


Source :
Children injured in deadly crash still critical