ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Authorities are investigating a crash involving a St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office deputy that happened Thursday morning on Interstate 95.
The crash happened in the northbound lanes of I-95 near the Indrio Road exit.
Six year veteran Deputy Patterson came across debris in the roadway on I-95 near Indrio Road and as she attempted to clear the roadway hazard, a distracted motorist failed to yield and move over for her marked unit with lights on, striking her and her vehicle, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said in a post on Facebook.
“Our deputy gets there, activates their emergency lights, then out of nowhere, a vehicle following behind wasn't paying attention and crashed into them at, you know, 60+ miles an hour,” Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPTV reporter Mello Styles.
Body cam video provided by St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office showed the truck as it was struck by pickup truck. The impact of the crash jolted the truck with the deputy inside.
WATCH: Body cam video of deputy struck while inside her marked unit
Deputies said Patterson was one of two people taken to the hospital via ambulance.
"She's out of the hospital, very shaken up, but very, very happy to be alive," Pearson told WPTV.
Pearson said the driver who hit the deputy was taken to the hospital with minor injuries he is being cited for violating the "Move Over" law.
He said with the extent of the damage, everyone is lucky to walk away with minor injuries.
"This isn't a fender bender. This is a full-size pickup truck. The back half of it completely gone," Pearson said.
He stressed the importance of staying focused on the road and moving over for emergency vehicles.
"We have two totaled vehicles that all could have been prevented had that driver just been paying attention," he said.
