CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A 21-year-old Jacksonville man says he’s thankful to be alive after surviving a deadly wrong-way crash near Clay County High School Wednesday morning.

Florida Highway Patrol says an 18-year-old driver was traveling west in the eastbound lane of State Road 16 when his vehicle clipped another truck, then slammed head-on into a pickup driven by Scott Hakes.

The 18-year-old, who was from Green Cove Springs, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hakes spoke with First Coast News from his hospital bed, recounting the terrifying moments leading up to the crash.

“When it happened, I was like, damn, is this it? Or am I gonna be able to make it out?” Hakes said. “That car came in my lane and smoked me, smoked the hell out of me fast.”

He never lost consciousness but says the i

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