A Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy sustained minor injuries when a vehicle struck his patrol car while he was responding to a fatal fiery crash near Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, authorities confirmed Saturday. The deputy was blocking an intersection at Northwest 135th Street and Northwest 47th Avenue at 2:44 a.m. when a separate vehicle drove through the intersection and struck the right side of his patrol vehicle. The deputy was treated at the scene for minor injuries and the driver who struck the patrol car was detained.
The initial fatal crash occurred around 11:55 p.m. Friday near Northwest 135th Street and Northwest 57th Avenue in northwest Miami-Dade, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said a vehicle struck a tree and caught fire, with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews extinguishing the flames and pronouncing the male driver dead at the scene. The identity of the deceased driver has not been released by authorities.
The deputy’s patrol vehicle was positioned to block traffic due to the earlier fatal crash when the second collision occurred approximately three hours later. The impact caused damage to the patrol vehicle, though authorities said the deputy’s injuries were minor and he was able to receive treatment at the scene rather than being transported to a hospital. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has not released the identity of the driver who was detained after striking the patrol vehicle.
Both crashes occurred in the same general area of northwest Miami-Dade near the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, creating traffic disruptions in the early morning hours. The fatal crash site at Northwest 135th Street and Northwest 57th Avenue is approximately 10 blocks east of where the deputy was struck while directing traffic. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to extinguish the vehicle fire in the initial crash that claimed one life.
Authorities have not released additional details about either crash, including the circumstances that led to the initial vehicle striking the tree or the cause of the second collision involving the patrol car. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office continues investigating both incidents, with no timeline provided for when additional information might be released to the public.