People expect police officers to follow the law. They expect police officers to help keep the public safe. In the case of a former Miami Beach Police officer, keeping people safe doesn’t seem to have been high on his priority list on the day he was driving an ATV in a reckless manner on a Florida beach.
The accident happened in 2011 when the on-duty police officer met a woman at a bachelorette party in a nightclub in South Beach and asked her to go on an ATV ride on a city-own ATV. That joy ride on the ATV led to two people being seriously injured when he crashed into them.
One of the victims suffered a brain injury and a hip injury. She also lost her spleen in the accident. The other victim has a rod in his leg necessitated by a broken femur.
Despite the defense attorney’s assertion in his closing arguments that the man used bad judgment but didn’t break the law, the jury found him guilty of two counts of reckless driving with serious injury. He was also facing DUI charges, but was acquitted on those charges.
The former police officer was taken into custody and has to await a sentencing hearing to learn his fate. He could face up to five years in prison. One of the women who was injured that night says she is satisfied with the outcome but that she feels sorry for the ex-cop’s family.
This case shows how devastating an accident can turn. Anyone who suffers an injury in an accident caused by a drunk driver might decide to seek compensation to help reduce the financial impact of the injuries.