Third Florida Deputy Dies After Crash Killed 2 Others: 'Mourning the Loss of Another Hero'

Mar. 15, 2025

Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz.Photo:Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

A third Florida deputy who was critically injured followinga traffic crash that killed two fellow deputieshas died.

ThePalm Beach County Sheriff’s Office(PBSO) announced that Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz, succumbed to his injuries on Monday, Nov. 25.

“We stand together, honoring their memory and supporting their families, friends, and colleagues through this time of immense sorrow," officials added. “Let us remember their courage and commitment to duty as we pledge to continue their legacy of service. To serve and protect was their oath—honoring them is our duty.”

“He has been a valued member of our motor unit for over 10 years,” authoritiessaid in a news releasebefore Diaz’s death.

“It’s just a feeling of numbness and heartache and pain,” Lopez said at the time as Diaz was fighting for his life. “I couldn’t even go to work today. I just felt back pain, stomach pain, problems with my heart, it’s just a shock.”

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Paez and Waller were killed, and Diaz was left in critical condition following the collision, authoritiessaid at the time.

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw saidduring a Nov. 21 press conferencethat the crash occurred after one officer couldn’t get his motorcycle to start after making contact with a motorist. He called on the assistance of his two colleagues and assumed he had a dead battery.

“All three [of them were] on the grassy area of the shoulder of the road, and they were going to wait for another PBSO vehicle to come with some battery cables,” said Bradshaw.

“She overcompensated, got off the road and then struck all three of the motor officers — at which time all three went airborne in different directions,” Bradshaw said at the time.

The sheriff added that, based on a preliminary investigation, the driver didn’t appear to be impaired. He described what happened as a “horrific accident.”

“It just looks like one of those things where she overcompensated and got off the road,” he said.

PEOPLE contacted the PBSO on Tuesday, Nov. 26. A Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson said criminal charges aren’t currently pending against the driver as she is still under investigation, according toCBS affiliate WPEC.

Investigators said that the driver, who is from Pennsylvania, was cooperative at the scene of the crash,NBC affiliate WGALreported.

Both the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol are investigating the incident.

“We are grieving,” authorities said, “and as Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said, ‘When you lose a law enforcement officer, you lose a little piece of the community.’ Palm Beach County is mourning.”

source: people.com