A Williston teenager was killed Monday night after hitting a traffic sign with his car in Marion County.
Jonathen Joseph Stuart Bishop, 17, was driving a 2004 Dodge Ram on County Road 318 when he turned and collided with a road sign minutes before 10 p.m., according to a crash report. The car continued moving until crashing into a tree.
A Marion County Fire Rescue paramedic pronounced Bishop dead shortly after at 10 p.m., according to the report.
Bishop was not wearing a seatbelt, and investigators are not sure if alcohol was involved.
“It’s so sad. He was only 17,” said Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Sgt. Tracy Hisler-Pace.
Bishop was a junior at Williston High School where he played on the school’s football team.
His death was the second fatal crash of 2015, following a crash on Friday when an elderly man collided with another car.
Marion County had 57 highway fatalities during 2014, 21 of which involved a lack of seatbelts, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
On its Facebook page, Williston High School expressed shock and sadness “by the loss of life of one of our students.”
“Please keep the family in your prayers,” the page read.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 1/7/2015 under the headline "Williston High Football player killed after hitting traffic sign"]
