For Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Benjamin Stamps, it’s going to be “a fairly long road to recovery” after his motorcycle crash Tuesday morning on I-95, as Stamps was riding the emergency lane to investigate a possible incident ahead that had slowed traffic to a crawl, Sheriff Rick Staly said on Wednesday.
Stamps’s right elbow was shattered, he suffered broken ribs, one of which punctured a lung, and had other scrapes. His helmet, which he was wearing, was damaged enough to suggest that had he not been wearing it, his injuries might have been even more severe than they were. The department-issued motorcycle, a 2020 Harley Davidson, was totaled.
Stamps lives in St. Augustine and was riding to work at 8:30 Tuesday morning, south on I-95. According to the Florida Highway Patrol and Staly, traffic had stopped or slowed. “He thought maybe there was a crash that just occurred, he couldn’t see from his vantage point,” Staly said. Stamps turned on his emergency lights to get to the stoppage, riding on the inside emergency lane. “I don’t know how fast he was going, but I can tell you if he was going very fast, I’d be planning a funeral right now.”
The crash occurred at mile marker 314, between State Road 16 and State Road 207. (The intersection with U.S. 1, just north of the St. Johns-Flagler county line, is at marker 298.)
The deputy was transported to Memorial Hospital, a trauma facility in Jacksonville, where he had surgery on Tuesday afternoon. “We expect him to make a recovery, it’s going to be fairly long haul,” Staly said, “a fairly long road to recovery, and there is concern about the elbow because it shattered so badly.”
The sheriff spent time with Stamps in the emergency room the day of the crash. “He was alert and conscious but in a lot of pain, and we joked that there’s an easier way to get a new motorcycle, to get rid of his 2020.” Stamps was one of three deputies who joined the 13-deputy Motors Unit, which consists of eight motorcyclists and five deputies in white Mustangs with limited sheriff’s markings. to become Motor Unit certified, he had to complete a rigorous 80-hour course that, of the 22 candidates who started it in early 2023, only nine completed.
In accordance with the union contract deputies and the agency negotiated, deputies are allowed to take their vehicle (or motorcycle) home, as a privilege, and at no cost as long as they live in Flagler County or within 10 air miles of the county line. Beyond that distance, they may still take the vehicle home but must pay $20 per pay period.
The contract does not specify whether there would be a different cost if the vehicle is a motorcycle, but it does specify that “Employees assigned to specialized units who are currently taking assigned vehicles home outside of the 10 air miles shall continue to do so.” If Stamps lives outside the 10-mile zone (deputies’ home addresses are protected from public disclosure by law), that clause would apply to him, so there was no issue either way regarding his possession of the sheriff’s motorcycle out of county.
A replacement motorcycle would normally cost the Sheriff’s Office $47,000, Staly said, but with insurance defraying some of the cost (the driver of the sedan was insured), the agency is expecting the replacement cost to be lower.
The crash occurred as Bike Week in Daytona Beach had already claimed several lives and caused numerous severe injuries. One of the lives lost was that of a Palm Coast resident, Celia Rosa, whose husband Kenneth was severely injured in the same crash (in DeLand).
“This is a prime example of the importance of ‘look twice, save a life’ which is especially important with Bike Week occurring,” Staly was quoted as saying in a social media post by the agency after the crash. The post also noted the importance of driver awareness, and of helmets. Numerous studies have shown that helmets save lives, though Florida remains a helmet-optional state. (See evidence here, here, here, and here.)
There was some good cheer in the ER as Stamps was getting ready for surgery. “I suggested to his girlfriend,” Staly said, “that while he’s sedated she should go out to get an engagement ring and put it on and tell him when he comes to: ‘I’m so proud that you asked me to marry you,’ and she got a little laugh out of that. His mother was there also. I’m just glad we can have that light-heartedness, because it could have been completely different.”
Land of no turn signals says says
Best wishes to officer Stamps.As a fellow rider I hope you get back on two wheels soon.
Me says
Deputy Stamps get better soon.
Shoregal says
Wishing the deputy a speedy and full recovery. For his own sake. This If you have not already noticed is all about the headlines for Staly. He loves to portray the image taking care of his own. Just ask a 10 year veteran of the department who was “terminated” by email!!! For no longer being able to perform his duties as a law enforcement officer because of a court recognized “In the line
Of duty Injury”. That email was his thank you for the 10 years of stellar service, many commendations, awards, Deputy of the year and the countless sleepless nights, heartache and tears shed investigating the most horrific of crimes that can be committed against the most innocent of children/babies. No one picked up the phone to give him the courtesy, respect or human decency to tell him. I suspect this won’t happen to Deputy Stamps since Staly is “looking good” in this free publicity because of the unfortunate accident to befall on his deputy. It wouldn’t be a good look for him to let him go for the same reason. Time Will Tell.
Justsayin says
Maybe the officer should have used that thing they call a radio to check with dispatch if there was an accident needing his help before he rode in the emergency lane to gain access.
Swift recovery!!! says
I sure hope this fallen officer recovers fully! Also hope he wants to get hitched to his GF otherwise yikes, awkward!!! LOL Maybe the guys got plenty enough on his plate right now, LOL Sherriff Staly hopefully is lining this gentleman up with the new 2025 HD…
Pat Stote says
Prayers to Deputy Stamps 🙏and drivers please drive with caution always.
Take a good look says
Best wishes for this deputy to have a speedy recovery and hoping he can get back on the road soon!
TR says
Or maybe the idiot kid should not pull in front of an emergency vehicle with the lights on into an emergency lane because he was impatient. The accident was clearly the young kids fault. Deputies make decisions to investigate things that cause doubt and btw, how do you know he didn’t call dispatch to check? It might be right in the middle of the conversation when this kid decided to pull in front of the deputy.
JustBeNice says
Prayers for healing and comfort for Deputy Stamps.
FlaglerBear says
The deputy used that thing that deputies are supposed to have called “initiative.” He used those other things called “emergency lights” and took the initiative to check ahead to see why traffic was backed up. If you had things called “compassion and common sense”, perhaps you would have understood that before making ridiculous remarks.
The Voice Of Reason says
Very best wishes to the motorcycle officer. Keep up the good work! Thank you to Sheriff Staly and all your department. A final thought to state the obvious, Bike Week and Biketoberfest would be a perfect time to establish sobriety checkpoints throughout both events extensively. I believe a high percentage of bikers drive drunk and plenty of motorists too. The existing signage points to watch out for bikers. Often, the bikers are at fault especially when they lose control and in wrecks where they are the only participant. Our region looks the other way at these events with lax enforcement because bikers bring lots of green paper.
Another Perspective says
Dispatch would not be aware of an accident if no one had called it in yet. I am law enforcement as well and frequently roll up on accidents that have not yet been called into dispatch. The purpose of the emergency lane is for emergency vehicles, which include law enforcement.
JimboXYZ says
I think the officer was doing what most any motorcyclist does when traffic is gridlock, they either pass in the emergency lane, if not outright ride in between cars for normal traffic lanes. Sometimes car motorists perceive that as a motorcyclist cutting ahead of them in traffic as a road rage. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here. It would appear the motorist just got frustrated sitting in traffic like every one else, wanted to turn around rather than sit in gridlock for moving a car length at a time in that stop & go misery of the overpopulation of Flagler & St John’s counties that has happened in the last quarter century. The leakage from Jacksonville to St John’s is now manifesting itself in Flagler county in the last 3+ years of “you know who”.
Motorcycles are a little different from cars in gridlock. The battery charging system for a smaller 12V battery needs the alternator to spin & charge for higher ICE RPM’s. Otherwise it doesn’t have the same reserve capacity that a 12V car battery does. Then there’s the hydraulics of a manual clutch design that aren’t as robust as a automobiles manual transmisson hydraulics. Cooling system, radiator or in an air cooled engine needs air flow to cool a Harley’s larger V-Twin 1400 cc ICE. EV Harley’s are like the EV cars, a joke for range to be recharged. Probably why FCSO would never use a EV Harley Davidson, just as much a non-solution for range as it is for consumers, only that a police EV-motorcycle can’t be caught out of service for recharging in an emergency.
Just me, I don’t know of any real advantages a motorcycle unit has beyond cost of the car, maybe the fuel economy. A motorcycle used to be faster than a car, but that’s only if the rider can hang on for that level of acceleration. Accidents & injuries for motorcycle police has always been more catastrophic. Sometime you have to give up the motorcycle to live longer. I gave mine up decades ago, can’t imagine traffic getting any better since then. My econobox car gets as good fuel economy as most any motorcycle too on the highway. Traffic & radio communication will catch runners from LEO every time, scrambling the helicopter and that’s game over. Maybe it’s time to retire motorcycle patrol vehicles altogether, get them into a Ford Focus or whatever the latest econoboxes are called in 2024, the one’s that get 30/40 mpg city/highway ?
Officer should heal, but if I am that LEO, this is one of the cat’s 9 lives that’s been cashed in & used up, time to get into 4 wheels & a chair for personal safety. I get a car is no guarantee, but it’s a better survival rate than what it would be for a motorcycle. Instead of light humor to ease the tension this could’ve been worse as a bearer for bad news for a traffic fatality. Officers that have no concrete call for a traffic accident shouldn’t be assuming one. With smartphones & people reporting accidents, there was no reason to assume an accident happened, to go look for something that didn’t happen, not when traffic gridlocks on I-95 as often as it does.
RitaMae says
Deputy Stamps came to my home when I called the police to help solve a phone fraud issue I almost got trapped in. He helped tremendously to get rid of the perpetrator on the phone. I was very grateful. He was very understanding and an all around good guy. Prayers for a positive recovery.
milan says
Shoregal I completely agree with you. I myself can vouch for few police officers that got hurt and got the boot from Staly. Seems to me that Staly has no respect nor compassion for fellow officers that serve our city! Hope and pray for Stamps and even more prayers for Staly to go and have taste of his own medicine!!!
Right says
Wishing Deputy Stamps a speedy recovery.
Shoregal, It’s a sad state of affairs and some of us have seen and experienced it first hand. I know who you speak of and I wish him well.
Concerned Citizen says
Thank you for voicing what I have been voicing for years. And it makes people angry. I retired from a career in both Law Enforcement and Fire Rescue. I am fully supportive of all of our agencies. But…
I drive a good bit for my job every day. In an area surrounding 3 counties. This is my 24th Bike Week here in Florida. I have never ever seen bikes pulled over. And they continuously violate traffic laws. The biggest offenses I see are running stop signs and red lights. In order to stay together as packs. And passing in no passing zones. Just in the last 3 days I’ve seen 4 or 5 major violations with patrol cars nearby.
Our Deputies and Officers will never publicly admit. But it seems they are told to leave Bikers alone. So it doesn’t interfere with revenue.
TR says
I’m not sure where you drive around, maybe in circle because just yesterday on US-! in Ormond Beach I saw three bikers pulled over in different areas from Flagler county to the Iron Horse. So that isn’t true about the police being told to leave the bikers alone. Besides if it’s revenue they are after. They should pull violators over especially during bike week. They would make a hell of a lot more than any other time of year when just the local bikers are here.
Skibum says
I spoke with one of the sheriff’s motorcycle deputies earlier today to see how the injured deputy is doing. I was hoping he would be out of the hospital and recovering at home now, but I was informed that he is still in ICU in Jacksonville. Hopefully, he will be well enough to be released before long, and I am wishing him and his family the best in what is anticipated to be a long recovery before he is able to come back to work.
Law Man says
Probably didn’t want to sit in traffic like we all have to do so he decided to fly down the shoulder. I’m sure if he was going a little slower this wouldn’t have happened or it wouldn’t have been so bad. Just by looking at the damage gives you an idea of how fast he was going.
You Don't Fool Me says
I am in 100% agreement with these comments about Staly and his dog and pony show for publicity. I’ve experienced it first-hand. Everything he says and does is calculated to market himself and stay the focus of attention in the most positive way possible. The catchy little sound bytes about the “green roof inn” and similar oft-repeated fun phrases makes me shake my head every time. It’s a shame for those LEO’s who are legitimately in the line of work out of compassion and a genuine wish to save and protect rather than self-aggrandizing.
TR says
The same can be said about the young 18 year old not wanting to sit in traffic. Again, it wouldn’t have happened if the young 18 year old would have not been making a u-turn illegally and would have been paying attention to the deputies lights and siren. He should have like a lot of normal people do is look in his mirrors when hearing the siren to see if there was an emergency vehicle coming around him instead of doing something as stupid as make an illegal u-turn in an area that is for emergency vehicles only.
Shark says
Or maybe the deputy should have ben going a little slower !!!
feddy says
47,000 for a replacement bike, WOW they are getting gouged.
TR says
It’s the kids fault, period. Even if the deputy was going slower he still would have collided with the side of the car. Besides, when an emergency vehicle has their lights and sirens on, every minute counts to the possibility of saving someone’s life. Bottom line is this kid had no respect for the law by breaking it. I hope he got a ticket for breaking the law. I also hope that if you’re ever in a situation where you need emergency services, they don’t go a little slower to predict that they might get into an accident on the way to helping you.
TR says
Actually they are not. Harley’s are really up there in price. Not sure if that price you mentioned includes all the things that have to be added to a stock Harley. But they have a bunch of equipment they have to add to the bike for the police to have all they need to do their job.