Hillsborough Deputy Killed In Wrong-Way Crash Identified

BRANDON, FL — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of one if its own Saturday.

According to the agency, one of its deputies was killed by a wrong-way driver shortly after 2:45 a.m. after 911 calls came in about a driver heading west on the eastbound Lee Roy Selmon Expressway at the Brandon Express Exit (upper deck).

“The ramp was closed to westbound traffic and servicing eastbound traffic only,” the sheriff’s officer wrote in an email to media.

The deputy had just left Tampa General Hospital following a crash investigation and was heading east when he encountered the wrong-way driver just west of the Interstate-75 overpass.

“The deputy was unable to avoid the crash and the vehicles struck head-on,” the email said.

The wrong-way driver died at the scene. The deputy was taken back to Tampa General Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

“All of the traffic control devices were in working order showing the ramp closed to westbound traffic,” the email said. “It is unknown if alcohol was involved at this time.”

The sheriff's office has identified the deputy as John Robert Kotfila Jr., 30. Kotfila was a traffic crash investigator who worked with the sheriff's office for six years. He was driving a marked 2013 Dodge Charger at the time of the accident.

The other driver has been identified as Erik Thomas McBeth, 31, of Hudson. He was driving a 2013 GMC Terrain.

"Our HCSO family is one less today," Sheriff David Gee said in a statement. "The tragic loss of one of my deputies has all of our hearts heavy. The most dreaded part of being Sheriff of Hillsborough County is getting the news that a deputy has lost his or her life in the line of duty. I know the citizens of Hillsborough County - and from all corners of this great nation - join HCSO as we mourn. But this sadness is tempered with an enduring pride that our deputy fought the good fight. That is our vow - then, now and tomorrow.

"We will embrace our deputy's family with the honor and respect due to one who dedicated his life 'to serve and protect.' Thank you for your prayers for our deputy and his family."

Kotfila came from a law enforcement family. His father, Sgt. John Kotfila Sr., is a member of the Massachusetts State Police. His brother, Michael, is an officer with the Plymouth Police Department in Massachusetts.

The death is a first for a Florida law enforcement agency in 2016, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.

Wrong-way driving incidents have become an increasing problem in the Tampa Bay area. On Tuesday, Hillsborough deputies stopped a driver going the wrong way on U.S. 301 after a lengthy chase.

Photos courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office