SUV crashes into CubeSmart on S. 8th Street; two hospitalized

An SUV traveling north on South Eighth Street left the roadway Thursday morning and slammed into the CubeSmart storage facility, causing enough damage that city officials declared part of the building unsafe.

The Fernandina Beach Fire Department received the call at 10:54 a.m., according to Fire Chief Jeremy Holmes.

Two people were inside the SUV. Both were transported to a hospital for evaluation. Holmes said the building was occupied at the time of the crash, including people working in the office, but no one inside was injured.

The vehicle appeared to have been traveling north on Eighth Street before leaving the roadway and striking the storage facility, Holmes said. The cause of the crash has not been determined.

The Fire Department described it as a single-vehicle crash and said no other vehicles were involved. Nassau County Fire Rescue assisted in transporting the SUV's occupants for medical care.

The impact caused significant structural damage to the CubeSmart building, prompting representatives from the Fernandina Beach Building Department and structural engineering personnel to respond and assess whether the structure was safe.

The affected portion of the building was subsequently deemed unsafe and secured. Crews were able to remove the SUV without causing any additional observed damage to the structure, according to the Fire Department.