Rescue and fire personnel tend to van roll-over victim.

Traffic accidents on Interstate 10 claimed the lives of two motorists near Macclenny and Sanderson August 20 and 23.

The latter wreck involved in a van carrying five employees of Builders FirstSource in Jacksonville returning home to Lake City about 4:20 pm.

Their Ford was westbound near mile marker 325 east of the US 90 interchange when its driver lost control for an unknown reason, said Lt. Kevin Blom of the Florida Highway Patrol.

The van crossed into the median and rolled over, coming to rest on its side at the edge of the eastbound lane, he said.

Four passengers were ejected, one of whom was airlifted to Shands Jacksonville. Others were taken to Fraser Hospital and the fifth passenger died at the scene. The deceased, Tommy Joe Robinson, 45, was not wearing a seat belt, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Benny Markham suffered a head injury and lacerations to his elbows, but otherwise appeared unharmed. He was not buckled in either, and refused transport to the hospital.

The driver of the westbound van, Marc Boucher, 37, of Lake City lost control for an unknown reason and it rotated counter clockwise in the grass median before flipping several times, said Trooper Williams.

Mr. Boucher was wearing a seat belt and had minor injuries, as did passenger Jasper Futch, 55, of Live Oak.

“I don’t know what happened,” said Mr. Markham at the scene. “We were fixing to get off at the Sanderson exit. I was in the seat behind the drivers seat and I realize (the driver) was going off the road and I thought, man, he must be fallin’ asleep or something.

“I reached across and tried to grab the steering wheel to try to get us back in the road. I tried but I couldn’t do it and I fell back in my seat. We went this way and that and next thing I knew it was all this (pointing to the overturned van).”

Three days prior, Maria Dawn Chancelor, 34, of Nederland, Texas lost control of her 2009 Pontiac sedan on the on ramp at SR 121 to I-10 eastbound about 12:30 am.

The vehicle traveled onto the on ramp’s northern shoulder toward the interstate, crossed the eastbound lanes and the median into the westbound lanes before striking the rear axle of a 2007 Kenworth semi-truck heading west, according to Trooper D.L. Myers’ report of the crash.

Ms. Chancelor, who was not wearing a seat belt, was killed.

The semi’s driver, Eli M. Joseph, 49, of Orlando, was not injured and Ms. Chancelor’s passenger, Michael Shawn Currier, 35, of Fayetteville, Tenn. survived with critical injuries.

Mr. Currier, who was also not restrained, was transported to Shands in Jacksonville.

Joel Addington, Jim McGauley and Kelley Lannigan contributed to this story.