Truck Hits Deputy Directing Traffic at Crash Scene

A 28-year-old Largo pickup truck driver accidentally struck a Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy directing traffic at a crash scene on Seminole Boulevard, investigators said.

Deputy Richard Heaton did not suffer serious injuries but was transported to Largo Medical Center for examinaton.

Randall Weinberg, the truck driver, was traveling south in the 12500 block of Seminole Bouelvard when the accident occurred just before 7 a.m.

Heaton, 48, was off duty and assisting the Florida Highway Patrol at a crash in the northbound lanes of Seminole Boulevard, detouring traffic around the scene.

According to investigators, Heaton "inadvertently stepped into the southbound lane and was accidentally struck by the side mirror of a southbound pickup truck," which was driven by Weinberg.

Weinberg immediately pulled over. The Sheriff's Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) is investigating. But no charges have been filed. Investigators said there is no evidence to suggest that Weinberg contributed to the accident.

Editor's note: The article has been changed to show that the injured deputy is with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, not the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office as originally reported.