A Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputy is in critical condition after he was struck by a vehicle while assisting the Florida Highway Patrol on the scene of a crash on Florida’s Turnpike on Saturday morning, authorities said.
According to MDSO Asst. Chief Eric Garcia, the incident happened on the northbound lanes of the Turnpike between Northwest 41st Street and 58th Street in Northwest Miami-Dade, where he suffered serious injuries and was immediately airlifted to Kendall Hospital.
Though MDSO is still reviewing body camera video, Garcia said that the deputy was on duty when he heard dispatchers call in a vehicle involved in an accident where someone may have been trapped inside. So, the deputy responded since he was nearby to render aid.
Garcia continued, saying that the deputy underwent surgery and he currently remains at the hospital.
“I can tell you, although we remain cautiously hopeful, this is very serious, and we ask everyone for prayers for the deputy as well as the family and the officers,” he said.
According to Garcia, the deputy has only been identified as a 20-year veteran of law enforcement, having been a corrections officer before joining MDSO, where he has been for the past five to six years.
Garcia said when the rest of the agency was notified about the deputy’s hospitalization, they were “shaken up.”
“As you can tell, and as I’ve spoken to some of them, but they were definitely shaken up with the information that we received, and we remain optimistic and we continue to have them in our thoughts and prayers at this time,” he said.
Garcia added that the incident serves as a reminder for all motorists to slow down and move over as they approach traffic incidents to prevent these types of situations.
Garcia also said that the driver involved stayed on the scene and that the investigation is ongoing and being conducted by MDSO’s Traffic Homicide unit.
