(This story has been updated with new information.)
WELLINGTON – Two Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies died and a third was seriously injured when an SUV plowed into them as they prepared to jump a motorcycle parked on Southern Boulevard.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the SUV was trying to avoid a car that had started to slow down in front of it. The driver slid into a grassy area where deputies and a department-provided motorcycle were standing, waiting for another deputy to bring jumper cables.
The sheriff’s office has not released the names of the deputies. The spokesperson of the organization, Mr. Teri Barbera, says that the two who died had been with PBSO for 36 and 18 years. The victim had 20 agencies.
The driver of the SUV suffered minor injuries. While the investigation is ongoing, Bradshaw said the driver did not appear to be impaired or speeding at the time of the crash.
Related: PBSO deputy injured in incident at checkpoint near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach
Where did the crash occur?
The accident happened in the 18000 block of Southern Boulevard, west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, near the Lion Country Safari animal park and about 15 miles west of Palm Beach International Airport.
Emergency crews flew the deputies to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, the closest Level 1 trauma center.
First responders blocked traffic in both directions on Southern Boulevard, the county’s main east-west thoroughfare. Their search is expected to continue into the evening.
The county school district warned parents that buses may be late and encouraged families to pick up their children at their schools during dismissal times.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies blocked the road at the intersection of Southern Blvd. and Seminole Pratt Whitney Road November 21, 2024 in Palm Beach County. Several PBSO deputies were involved in the crash. Two were killed and one is seriously ill.
Which agency is leading the investigation into the accident that happened on Thursday?
The Florida Highway Patrol will lead the investigation, as is often the case when law enforcement officers are involved in a crash or shooting.
The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death. In a statement sent to X, formerly Twitter, the Office of the Medical Examiner described the incident as an ongoing investigation, but law enforcement officials said Thursday they do not know of any charges against the driver.
When did the Loxahatchee accident happen?
Thursday morning’s fatal crash comes nearly 17 years to the day that sheriff’s deputies Jonathan Wallace and Donta Manuel died trying to stop a speeding driver in The Glades.
On November 28, 2007, several deputies were chasing a suspected car thief on State Road 715 near the Pahokee airport when Wallace and Manuel deployed ‘stop stick’ tire deflation devices designed to slow down or stop the driver.
They are among the five deputies in PBSO history to have been struck and killed by a vehicle.
Staff writers Julius Whigham II, Holly Baltz and Hannah Phillips contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on the Palm Beach Post: PSBO to hold news conference on car accident that killed 2 deputies.