On the night of Oct. 19, a Hillsborough County deputy was seriously shaken after a driver slammed into her patrol car on I‑75 near Tampa. Corporal Niomi Bruce, a member of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), was waiting in her vehicle while a tow truck was called to a separate crash scene when the collision occurred.
What happened
The incident began with a traffic stop for a vehicle that had been swerving out of its lane earlier that evening. The driver fled the scene, prompting HCSO’s aviation unit to track the suspect to I‑75. Helicopter video later showed the suspect’s car careening off the road into a construction zone and rolling down an embankment onto U.S. 301.
Deputy Bruce and several colleagues responded to secure that crash site. While she was seated in her patrol car, speaking with her sergeant through the passenger window, the unrelated driver—later identified as a 21‑year‑old—crashed into the back of Bruce’s vehicle, which had its emergency lights flashing.
Deputy’s injuries
“When the impact actually hit my car, it threw me out of my seat,” Bruce recalled. “I hit my laptop, my rear‑view mirror, and the front windshield.” Body‑camera footage and 911 audio captured the moment she told fellow deputies she could not feel her legs. The crash caused a lower‑back tear, bruising, whiplash and muscle damage. Fortunately, the loss of feeling in her lower extremities was temporary, and she has since been released from the hospital.
“It could have been a lot worse, and that was probably the one moment in my career that could have really changed my life, my husband’s life, and my kids’ lives,” Bruce said. “It was a very scary moment, so I’m super thankful.”
Sheriff’s office response
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister used the incident to reinforce Florida’s Move‑Over law, urging drivers to give space to stopped emergency vehicles. “Please, this job is dangerous enough. You know, move over,” Chronister said.
Under the law, motorists must change lanes when they see a stopped vehicle with hazard lights, flares or other emergency signage. If a lane change is unsafe, drivers must reduce speed to at least 20 mph below the posted limit.
Chronister added, “When you get that call in the middle of the night that you have a deputy who was in a traffic crash and can’t feel their lower extremities, your heart breaks. I see all 4,500 employees as members of a family. Family takes care of family. It’s heartbreaking when something traumatizing like this happens physically and mentally.”
Legal outcome for the driver
The 21‑year‑old driver who struck Deputy Bruce was cited for careless driving. No further criminal charges were reported at the time of this writing.
Related arrests
Separate from the I‑75 crash, the four occupants of the vehicle involved in the earlier rollover have been arrested and face a range of traffic and drug‑related charges. They have been identified as Leo Gradley III, 29; Angel Pribble, 27; Jasmine Likely, 36; and Andrew Hopson, 33.
The HCSO continues to investigate both incidents and will provide updates as they become available.
Original reporting: Tampa Bay Florida News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
