Last Updated: 14:38
Two Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies were injured and hospitalized when both their motorcycles were struck by a car late this morning on Palm Coast Parkway westbound, by the entrance to the Wawa gas station.
“What I know at this point is that they are non-life threatening injuries, but at this time I don’t know the extent of their injuries,” Sheriff Rick Staly said, moments before entering the emergency department at Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach, where he’d driven after being at the scene of the crash.
The two motormen involved are deputy Matt Mortimer and deputy Greg Nunziato.
The crash took place around 11:45 a.m. It involved a dark-purple Toyota Avalon (“If Anything Can Go Well It Will,” says a sticker on its trunk) and two motorcycle patrolmen. The patrolmen were traveling west on the Parkway. The Avalon after the crash was pointing east, against traffic, and was part way into the entrance to the Wawa station. It’s not clear how it ended up pointing east.
“First report we had was that they were hit head-on, but that’s not what one of the motor deputies said,” the sheriff said. “The deputy said the individual came out of a side road, and he immediately changed lanes into their path. But that’s all I know right now. I really want FHP to do their investigation.”
The Florida Highway Patrol is in charge of the investigation. An FHP trooper was arriving at the scene at 12:48 p.m. Until then, several Flagler County Sheriff’s units and members of the Palm Coast Fire Police had secured the area, leaving the motorcycles where they’d been struck, and the Avalon where it had stopped. At least one witness to the crash was standing by to speak with FHP.
Both Mortimer and Nunziato were transported by ground to Halifax Health Medical Center. After speaking with both and their families at the hospital later this afternoon, Staly said: “This was a scary day but fortunately God was looking out for our deputies. Both appear to have non-threatening injuries, they’re still being evaluated, but it looks like they’ll both make a full recovery and we were very fortunate today.” The deputies are in good spirits but in some pain.
Westbound traffic on the Parkway was snarled to the Hammock Dunes bridge as travel lanes were reduced to a single lane.
Staly’s last update about the cause of the crash is that “the driver abruptly changed lanes and struck the motorcycle, because he was trying maybe turn into Wawa from the center turn lane.” That may be why the car spun around. “But we’ll let FHP give the official causation.”
“I do have a message for the community,” Staly said. “In the last 10 days, we’ve had three deputies injured now because of drivers being impatient or not following traffic laws. I had a car totaled up on A1A last week, and now I have two motormen down. Traffic is heavy, it’s heavy because of the holiday season, people are out shopping. Be patient, take your time, don’t drive distracted and pay attention to what’s around you.”
The sheriff said he was praying for speedy recoveries of all three deputies, with all indications at the moment suggesting that the two deputies hurt today did not suffer anything life-threatening.
Chips says
We’ve been trying to tell you Sheriff, driving around here is off the chain. Now throw in some snow birds and bam the odds go up! I also heard your not a big fan of tickets because you’re in an elected position??? There’s enough habitual speeders and reckless drivers around, any one of us local defensive drivers can pick them out and write tickets it was legal for us to do so. This is like the second time at least that Nunziato got clipped on his bike.
Skibum says
“Chips”, I had not heard before your comment that suggests the sheriff is against his deputies writing traffic citations because he is an elected official. But if that is the case, it is no surprise to me because I have prior first hand experience with that myself when I was a deputy sheriff in CA. For the first couple of years working the streets, writing traffic citations was frowned upon because the higher ups kept saying the sheriff, being an elected official, didn’t want to deal with all of the complaints from citizens that were depended on to re-elect him to office.
In trying to minimize the tendency for deputies to cite a traffic violator, all of us deputies were required to write an incident report for every citation issued, justifying issuing a citation instead of merely giving a warning to the driver. None of us were happy with that internal rule, and it became such an issue that deputies started inundating the chain of command with incident reports and citations, and supervisory staff got so fed up with reading and submitting the huge number of reports up the chain of command that the sheriff’s department finally said enough is enough and dropped that requirement, freeing up the deputies to use discretion as intended within CA state law to either write a traffic citation or not.
You are absolutely right that the driving situation here in our area, as in the rest of this crazy state, is off the wall! Florida has the smallest number of highway patrol officers of all 50 states, and I think drivers realize their chance of getting pulled over is low, so that encourages many people to drive like idiots.
It is a good thing that FCSO has a traffic unit, but the sheriff would be well advised to prioritize traffic safety even higher and to not put any internal barriers in the way of his deputies writing tickets when they feel it is warranted. We desperately need more enforcement, not less, to get bad drivers and those without insurance off of our roads to make driving for the rest of us safer and more enjoyable.
TR says
I agree with your comment that we need more deputies. Especially based on the simple fact that there are more and more people moving here with all these new homes being built all over the county. With more people there are more problems and therefore the need for more deputies. However every time the sheriff asks for more deputies, he is always meet with negativity and no as an answer. He gets criticized for the deputies that he does have not doing their job. They are doing their job to the best of their ability with the man/woman power they have in the sheriff’s office.
Jim says
First, I want to say I’m very glad both officers appear to be okay and will make a full recovery. Anyone riding a motorcycle and getting hit by a car can get very badly injured – if not killed – and I’m glad these two will be okay.
To Sheriff Staly, I’ll say this. You talk about the three deputies injured in the last 10 days due to traffic. I hear you and you make a good point. However, in those same 10 days, you had one of your detectives driving 88mph in a 55mph. That may not be a popular subject to the Sheriff’s office but what would you be saying today if that detective had hit a pedestrian, bicyclist or another vehicle and injured and/or killed people? This community is just lucky that didn’t happen. And that detective got off with a short suspension and lost his Flagler Sheriff’s vehicle privilege’s for 90 days (so I guess he’ll get that car back after that). I may have missed it but it used to be that 88mph in a 55mph would get you a Reckless Driving charge. Maybe he got charged and I missed it.
I hope that these two deputies make a quick recovery and get to enjoy their Christmas at home. They were doing their job and I want to acknowledge that and let them know it is appreciated.
Raymond says
Speeding alone does not constitute reckless driving under Florida Statue. Many people think it does but unfortunately it doesn’t. Now there is a new statue called the super speeding statue and that’s 50 miles over the speed limit or 100 mph per hour. It’s an arrestable offense.
MAT Talley says
Seems wrecking two Motormen while making an illegal lane change, thus causing two injuries, might just eek into reckless driving. Yes?
Shark says
Maybe if FCSO did some real traffic enforcement in Palm Coast instead of I95 the traffic situation would be a lot better !!!
Ray says
I drove by that accident about 12:00 it looked like the car was turning right going east on a 1 way going west. I have a question. Why where the cops taken to Halifax with no life threating injures. I was told if you have to be taken by an ambulance in Flagler County, you are taken to Advent. I was also told they will not take you to Halifax. So, do cops get special treatment? I used to ride but gave it up 8 years ago. It hurts like hell going down on a Motorcycle.
Doug says
Halifax is a trauma hospital, and it didn’t have to be a law enforcement officer to be sent there. Moron.
Ray says
People like “Ray” are uninformed, know it all idiots. Can’t stand f##ks like that.
Ray says
Ok, I was asking a question for the most part! I was told this without knowing that’s all. Merry Christmas/ Moron
Ronnie says
It’s someone like you that makes a ridiculous comment maybe because you don’t like law enforcement to think they have special privileges and maybe you don’t but guess what they save lives people need to slow down and watch what they’re doing it’s ridiculous also has nothing to do with them teenagers on bicycles trying to ride on one wheel torturing drivers going in and out of the front of their cars to distract them something needs to be done so maybe this Ray can help investigate that for the Florida Department
shark says
Ronnie – It’s obvious that you attended school in Flagler County. Do you know what a sentence is ??????
FedUpwithYanks says
It’s “Yank” season and those who seasonly visit here have their heads up there a$$es.
Chips says
I guarantee you this “Yank” has lived in Palm Coast longer than you. Since your so happy to be a native, I guess you have to take credit for all the non infrastrutture that plagued this county. Oh yeah, I forgot you geniuses were too occupied chasing runaway slaves on horseback because you were too lazy to build this place out yourself like WE YANKS have done. I guess we’re responsible for the proliferation of these big 4×4 diesel Bubba Trucks hogging up the road and polluting the place too???
YankeeExPat says
Fed Up with Yanks
I don’t know you and you don’t know me.
But my Yankee heritage with what ever warts and faults you and the local Hillbilliery has with it, still makes me a better American any day of the week than you with your Treasonous Southern Confederate heritage.
The South will never rise again, General Robert E. Lee’s surrounded at Appomattox on April 9, 1865
because,….. The south lost the war!
The Southern Baptist Convention didn’t formally apologize for its pro-slavery past and racism until 1995
A New York City sewer rat is justifiably a better American than Red state Rebel !
” Merry Christmas, ……and I hope a African American Santa Claus comes to your home December 25th “
Lance Carroll says
Wishing for speedy recovery of injured deputies/motormen. There are too many distracted, uncareful, and reckless drivers on Flagler County roads. May we all take special care while driving and avoid collisions.
Sincerely,
Lance Carroll
Bob Ziolkowski says
Synch the traffic lights on PC Parkway and traffic will flow better. Many drivers speed, change lanes, etc., just to get to the next light before it changes red.
Speedometer says
THIS. Drivers in this town are literally just so, ahh, unique in their.. lack of.. driving skills. Just two weeks ago, same exact spot, I saw a driver turn out of racetrack, and make a right turn, sped off westbound in the oncoming traffic eastbound lanes. Luckily he sped right into the blue and red lights of a quick thinking deputy who was driving down the parkway right in front of our local diptard.
Literally driving in this town is the most dangerous thing comparable to anything else you can do in the entire WORLD. God speed and best wishes to the deputies who unfortunately suffered from our utterly lovely drivers in this town who have no clue, AT ALL, how to drive.
Skibum says
Over the years I have seen many instances of really bad driving right here in Palm Coast, but one in particular that I witnessed recently was the absolute worst. I had taken the S/B onramp to I-9 from Palm Coast Pkwy behind another car entering the onramp. As the car in front of me got to the bottom of the onramp where it merges into the interstate traffic, the driver was not speeding up to merge, but was actually slowing to an almost total stop!
After braking and honking my horn, I saw the idiot driver slowly turn left from the onramp onto the S/B shoulder and start driving the wrong way on the shoulder against traffic for who knows what insane reason. I lost sight of his car as I continued onto I-95 to where I was going.
Dangerous idiots are all around us!
Soeedometer says
I’ve seen this too, the non-mergers.. one guy I guess was going to drive on the shoulder. But yea, merging onto 95 at 40-45 is a skill I’ve acquired from living here!! God help us all!!
Speedy recovery for our deputies first and foremost!!
James says
Bring back the traffic cameras. The town could make millions since there is no traffic enforcement. It’s amazing that you never see an FSCO deputy around but when something like this happens they come out of the woodwork just to stand around !!!
Speedometer says
I saw a wrong way driver drive right into one of our deputies on PCPkwy. Blue and red lights went on quickly, he/she did really well as it happened very fast and the driver was likely DUI / could have been worse. I would not blame the deputies – the real problem is the rampant numbers of drivers who have 100% no clue what they are doing. THATS the problem. Mowing down deputy bikes, deputies doing the job you clam they aren’t – is just one example of the REALLY BAD driving you can find in this lovely town.