Emerald Greene Parsons
ECB Publishing, Inc.
One of the more dangerous situations that first responders face is working outside of their patrol vehicles while responding to crash scenes or assisting drivers on the side of the road. In fact, in 2021 there were 27 law enforcement ‘officer struck-by fatalities.’ Struck-by fatalities are one of the leading circumstances for traffic-related law enforcement officer fatalities.
This alarming statistic has been brought to the forefront of the minds of Jefferson County citizens, as one of our very own deputies recently had a close call on Interstate 10, just before the State Road 59 overpass.
On Friday, July 8, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Jefferson County Deputy Rosmini was stopped on the inside, eastbound lane of I-10, with his vehicle’s emergency lights activated, while blocking traffic for a previous traffic crash.
Approaching the scene was a semi-truck, traveling in the inside lane, and a pickup truck traveling in the outside lane, alongside the semi.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol report, the semi driver attempted to change lanes as it approached the crash scene and side-swiped the pickup truck. He then lost control, jack-knifed and collided with Deputy Rosmini’s patrol SUV, which was unoccupied at the time.
No injuries were reported.
The driver of the semi-truck was cited for failure to use due care.