TAMPA, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced flags will be flown at half-staff to honor the three Palm Beach deputies who were killed in a car crash.
Flags will be lowered on Tuesday from sunrise to sunset to honor Corporal Luis Paez, Deputy Sheriff Ralph Waller and Deputy Sheriff Ignacio Diaz.
Paez and Diaz were killed in the crash that happened in Loxahatchee on Nov. 21 when the deputies were standing on the side of the road with their department-issued motorcycles and hit by an SUV.
A woman in her 30s from Pennsylvania was driving a gray 2019 Jeep SUV and encountered a slower vehicle in the center lane. She abruptly veered to the right, causing her SUV to crash into the metal guardrail, spin out and hit the deputies standing on the side of the road, according to a spokesperson who spoke with CBS Miami.
Paez worked for over 36 years at the department and Waller worked there for 18 years.
Diaz was critically hurt and died a few days after being hospitalized. He joined the sheriff's office in 2004 and worked in the motor unit for more than a decade.
DeSantis initially directed flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Paez and Waller on Nov. 22. On Tuesday, the flags are lowered to also honor Diaz.
The governor said he and his wife, Casey, were saddened by the incident and Diaz's passing in an X post.
"Our prayers are with his loved ones and the entire PBSO," DeSantis said in the post.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office opened a donation drive to help support the fallen deputies' families.
"We lost three of our brothers. Please continue to pray for our fallen deputies' families," the agency stated. "Many of our brothers, sisters and members of the community have asked how they can donate to cause."
Those interested in donating to help support Paez, Waller and Diaz's families can click or tap here.