Third Fla. motorcycle deputy dies days after being hit by vehicle

By Angie DiMichele
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A third motorcycle deputy who was struck by an SUV as he and two other veteran officers awaited help with a disabled vehicle has died, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Monday afternoon.

Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz, 51, Cpl. Luis Paez, 58, and Deputy Ralph “Butch” Waller, 54, were hit by a woman in the SUV as they stood on the right shoulder of Southern Boulevard near Loxahatchee. The Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Diaz died at 12:42 p.m. Monday.

Paez and Waller were both pronounced dead at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach shortly after the crash.

“(Deputy Sheriff) Diaz bravely fought but ultimately lost his battle due to injuries sustained in the tragic crash that previously claimed the lives of Cpl. Luis Paez and (Deputy Sheriff) Butch Waller,” the news release said. “We again mourn the loss of our brothers who dedicated their lives to serving and protecting Palm Beach County.”

Diaz, Paez and Waller were waiting on the shoulder for another deputy to arrive with battery cables for the disabled motorcycle about 9:30 a.m. when the SUV driver, attempting to pass a slower vehicle, swerved from the center lane into the right lane. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference last week that the woman “overcompensated” and drove off the road.

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The Jeep SUV crashed first into a metal guardrail, then into the deputies. All three men and their motorcycles were sent into the air, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

Diaz had worked for the department for two decades, the Sheriff’s Office said, spending more than half of his career on the motor unit. A procession of law enforcement and fire rescue vehicles from multiple departments followed Diaz’s body to the Sheriff’s Office headquarters about 2:30 p.m., according to video streamed live on social media.

Paez spent 36 years in law enforcement. He began working at the Sheriff’s Office in 1988 as a corrections deputy, later moved to Road Patrol and had been a motorcycle deputy for more than 20 years.

Waller spent more than 18 years on the motor unit. He began his law enforcement career with Royal Palm Beach Police, which merged with the Sheriff’s Office in 2006.

Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. No charges have been filed against the SUV driver.

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