DUNEDIN, Fla. — A Pinellas County deputy is recovering in the hospital Thursday morning after she was hit by a car during a traffic stop.
The sheriff's office says it happened at Skinner Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Dunedin.
According to a news release, 37-year-old Deputy Elizabeth Temple approached the driver's side of a van during a traffic stop when she noticed another car traveling eastbound on Skinner Boulevard heading toward her.
Deputies say Temple tried to get out of the way but was hit by the car's driver's side rearview mirror before the driver kept going.
The sheriff's office says they were later able to identify the driver as Jonathan Chinchilla, 32.
After several attempts, deputies say they were able to find Chinchilla at his home and bring him to the Pinellas County jail. He is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving injury.
Investigators say impairment appears to be a factor in the crash.
Temple was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The state's "Move Over" law requires drivers, when able, to move over a lane for stopped law enforcement or emergency vehicles. If you can't move over, or when on a two-lane road, drivers should slow to 20 mph less than the speed limit.