Deputies OK After Hays Road Crash: Sheriff’s Office

SPRING HILL, FL — One Pasco County Sheriff’s deputy is recovering from an injured hand while a second walked away without any injuries after being struck by a vehicle Tuesday afternoon. The two deputies were working a crash at the intersection of State Road 52 and Hays Road when they were hit by a truck involved in a secondary accident.

The sheriff’s office said the impact threw Deputy Peter Knorr to the ground, causing an injury to the hand. Deputy Andrey Damian was not injured, agency spokesman Kevin Doll said on Wednesday.

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“This is an example of the dangers that our men and women face every day they put on the uniform,” the agency wrote in an email announcing the release of body cam video shot during the incident. The agency noted that “one our injured members continue to serve, making sure that another person involved in this crash received care.”

People involved in the crash also pitched in to help.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the deputies responded to a call about a minor traffic crash in the area of State Road 52 and Hays Road around 1:17 p.m. Aug. 29. That crash involved an eastbound sedan that turned left into a westbound sedan, an email from Sgt. Steve Gaskins said.

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After colliding, both sedans traveled north into the intersection and hit a third sedan that was stopped for a traffic light, Gaskins said.

As the two deputies were outside their cruisers helping the people in the three sedans involved in the first crash, an eastbound pickup truck turned into the path of a westbound pickup. The two trucks collided and then struck the vehicles involved in the original crash, Gaskins said.

The highway patrol has not yet released more information about its investigation into the two crashes. The sheriff’s office, however, is using the crash to send a reminder to motorists about safety.

“We urge you to slow down, especially on wet roads and near traffic crashes,” the agency’s email said.

Patch is not publishing the body cam footage due to its graphic nature. It can be viewed on the sheriff’s office’s YouTube channel.

Image via Shutterstock