PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy died after being hospitalized in critical condition following a crash that killed two other deputies on Thursday.
Ignacio "Dan" Diaz passed just before 1 p.m. Monday due to the injuries he sustained during the crash, according to a post from the sheriff's office.
The crash happened in Loxahatchee when the three deputies were standing on the side of the road with their department-issued motorcycles when an SUV hit them.
Luis Paez and Ralph "Butch" Waller were killed in the crash. Paez worked for over 36 years at the department and Waller worked there for 18 years.
Diaz joined the sheriff's office in 2004 and worked in the motor unit for more than a decade.
"Once again, we find ourselves mourning the loss of another hero who dedicated his life to serving and protecting Palm Beach County," the post read.
Video from CBS Miami showed a massive emergency response to the scene. The SUV was smashed into a guardrail along the highway with the deputies' three motorcycles heavily damaged beside it.
A spokesperson told the news outlet that one of the deputies was on the side of the road because his motorcycle had a dead battery. The two other deputies came over to assist and were waiting for a sheriff's office vehicle to bring them a battery jumper.
That's when 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 the official.
