Crime & Safety
Skateboarder Struck By Winter Haven Officer's Cruiser Dies
The officer was responding to a call when the crash involving the skateboarder happened, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.
WINTER HAVEN, FL — A skateboarder hit by a Winter Haven police officer’s patrol vehicle has died, according to multiple news outlets.
The fatal crash happened about 6 a.m. on Cypress Boulevard near LEGOLAND last Tuesday.
According to WTSP-TV, Officer Brian Jimenez-Morales, 32, was driving his 2017 Ford Taurus patrol car when he entered the right-hand turn lane and struck 21-year-old Symon Bruce Uhl-Miller.
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Officer Jimenez-Morales was responding to a call for service when Uhl-Miller skated in front of the patrol car, the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office told WFLA-TV that there is no evidence that Jimenez-Morales was speeding at the time of the incident. His emergency lights were also shut off.
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Following the collision, the sheriff's office said Jimenez-Morales got out of his car and tried to perform life-saving measures on Uhl-Miller.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Uhl-Miller died Monday —six days after the crash.
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