WINTER HAVEN, Fla — The Polk County Sheriff's Office says a man who was hit by a Winter Haven police officer while riding his skateboard last week has died.
Deputies say the crash happened around 6:15 a.m Tuesday, March 15, on Cypress Gardens Boulevard at Helena Road in Winter Haven.
According to a press release, Officer Brian Jimenez-Morales, 32, was driving his 2017 Ford Taurus patrol car eastbound on Cypress Gardens Boulevard when he entered the right-hand turn lane and struck 21-year-old Symon Bruce Uhl-Miller.
The sheriff's office reports Officer Jimenez-Morales was responding to a call for service when Uhl-Miller skated in front of the patrol car.
"Mr. Uhl-Miller was propelled onto the hood of the patrol car, hit the windshield, and then rolled off the hood and into the bicycle lane," the Polk County Sheriff's Office wrote in a press release.
Following the crash, Officer Jimenez-Morales called for Polk County Fire Rescue to respond and began "life-saving measures" on Uhl-Miller, according to the sheriff's office. Uhl-Miller was taken to an area hospital as a trauma alert.
"The vehicle’s emergency lights were not activated at the time of the crash and there is no evidence that the patrol vehicle was exceeding the marked speed limit," the Polk County Sheriff's Office wrote in a press release.
Witnesses who were in the area at the time of the crash provided statements to authorities. Cypress Gardens Boulevard was closed for approximately four hours while investigators worked.
On Monday, the sheriff's office says they were notified that Uhl-Miller had died.
The investigation is ongoing.