A Florida woman lost control of her SUV and sent three motorcycle deputies flying in a tragic accident.
There is an element of coolness when a police officer ditches a squad car to biome a motorcycle deputy. However, motorcycle deputies accept a bigger risk to their safety. Unfortunately, three police officers from Florida recently got hit by an SUV and went flying through the air.
Florida woman hits three motorcycle deputies
The Palm Beach County Police Department is mourning the loss of two officers and praying for a third with life-threatening injuries.
A woman lost control of her SUV and flew into the motorcycle deputies on the shoulder of a busy highway.
The Sheriff’s Deputies were conducting traffic enforcement in the Wellington area west of West Palm Beach. They were on State Road 80 in Loxahatchee when the incident occurred around 9 a.m.
One deputy couldn’t get his bike to start, so he called the other officers to help him move it into the grass on the shoulder of the road. They thought the battery was dead and called another police officer to bring them jumper cables.
Then a woman driving an SUV got frustrated by a vehicle going much slower in front of her. She went to pass it, but then overcorrected, and veered to the right.
She hit each officer and their motorcycles, sending them through the air in different directions. They were immediately taken to the hospital.
Corporal Luiz Paez and Deputy Sheriff Ralph ‘Butch’ Waller were pronounced dead. The third Deputy, Ignacio ‘Dan’ Diaz is in critical but stable condition in the ICU.
The female driver suffered minor injuries. According to AZ Family, she didn’t seem to be impaired or driving under the influence.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw shared that when a deputy dies, a piece of the community dies with them. The officers are described as very senior employees.
Some had over 30 years of motorcycle experience. They also participated in President-elect Donald Trump’s escort detail.