The Union County Sheriff’s Office is grateful no one was badly hurt in a wreck caused by a deputy last week, and Sheriff Shawn Dyer wants the motoring public to know he takes their safety seriously.
That’s why the deputy who caused the accident is being reprimanded; however, as this is the only blemish on an otherwise clean record, the reprimand will be limited.
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Disciplinary action will be decided soon, Sheriff Dyer said, but to create accountability, the deputy is potentially facing a few days of unpaid leave and a brief removal of his take-home car privilege.
The accident occurred the evening of Monday, April 28, when the deputy was driving his patrol car north on Murphy Highway with a vehicle behind him.
An officer-assist call came out over the radio, prompting the deputy to turn on his lights and siren and attempt to turn back toward town to help a fellow law enforcement officer, Sheriff Dyer said.
He turned right onto Akins Road and tried to make a U-turn to travel back south on Murphy Highway, but while making the U-turn, the deputy did not see the vehicle that had been traveling behind him, and he drove directly into its path.
A collision occurred between the right-side front of the civilian’s car and the driver’s side front of the patrol car in the northbound lane of Murphy Highway, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
The motorist reported she had observed the patrol car turn like it was turning onto Akins Road and that she briefly saw the vehicle’s blue lights, and GSP ultimately determined that the deputy was at fault for the accident, though no citations were issued.
Both the civilian driver and a passenger in her vehicle received minor injuries and were transported by ambulance to Union General Hospital for medical treatment and evaluation. They are expected to make full recoveries.
Thankfully, the deputy was not injured, and the county’s insurance will be covering the costs associated with the accident.
“It’s unfortunate that it happened,” said Sheriff Dyer, who believes the deputy has learned a valuable lesson in his law enforcement career. “We take accidents seriously, and I’m just glad nobody received life-threatening injuries or was killed.
“We drive 800,000-900,000 miles a year, and with as much traffic as we have on the road, we’re going to get into accidents.”
