ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) – A deputy assigned to patrol a Florida beach ran over a beachgoer on Wednesday afternoon, according to the local sheriff’s office.
The deputy-involved accident took place just after 1 p.m. at St. Pete Beach, according to a news release issued by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. The 58-year-old deputy was on patrol in his fully-marked 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe, which was parked. He was then dispatched to investigate a 911 hang up, at which point he put the vehicle into drive and made a right turn, hitting a 23-year-old woman who was lying on her back in the sand.
Deputies investigating the incident say the front tire on the driver’s side of the SUV drove over the woman’s right side and her “mid to upper back area.” She was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.
The deputy was not injured.
The Major Accident Investigation Team of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is handling the investigation, which remains ongoing.