A Broward County sheriffs corporal struck and killed a 46-year-old woman walking across North Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on June 26 just after 3 a.m. Her boyfriend was walking in front of her as they were crossing the highway where there was no crosswalk.

A spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department said the BSOs traffic homicide investigation unit is handling the accident investigation. The woman’s boyfriend said he heard the deputy’s car hit his girlfriend and saw her fly through the air. When she landed, he said she was not breathing. He attempted to resuscitate her by giving her CPR, but to no avail. The man also said that he did not see any emergency lights or hear any sirens on the patrol vehicle, and he thought the deputy was speeding. The sheriff’s department’s spokeswoman said that those are details that the traffic homicide investigators would be looking into during their investigation.

A traffic reconstructionist who works in the West Palm Beach area said that the investigation may take several months. This is because the process involves many steps and is very in-depth. Evidence would have been gathered from the accident scene, which includes taking measurements to determine how far the woman thrown from the point of impact, where the impact occurred and how fact the patrol car was traveling when the impact occurred.

The accident reconstructionist said the vehicle would have been equipped with a “black box” that would tell if the deputy was wearing a seat belt, when he hit the brakes and the gas pedal’s position. The only way the black box would have recorded this information, though, is if the air bags deployed during the Auto Accident

If it is determined the deputy was speeding without emergency lights and sirens, the woman’s family may have grounds for a civil action against the deputy and the department for her wrongful death, as well as other claims. An experienced personal injury attorney would be able to provide further information about such a case. 

Source: articles.sun-sentinel.com, – Erika Pesantes and Tonya Alanez, June 26, 2013