Scene of NEFSH patient fatality.

A 46-year-old male patient at Northeast Florida State Hospital died under the wheels of this semi-truck the morning of August 2 on SR 121 just north of the hospital entrance.

The pronounced skid marks indicate where truck driver Emmitt R. Murphy, 36, of Green Cove Springs attempted to avoid striking the patient when he crossed the road onto the west shoulder as the southbound rig approached, then darted back into the vehicle’s path.

The patient, whose identity was withheld pending relative notification, apparently jumped the nearby chain link fence around the hospital property shortly after 9:00 am, and was dead at the scene.

The tennis shoes he was wearing were discovered on the pavement behind the trailer and under the left rear wheel at the point of impact.