Motorcyclist Seriously Injured in Crash With Deputy

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash involving one of its own and a motorcyclist that occurred Tuesday night.

According to the agency, Cpl. Joe Miner was driving an unmarked 2011 Buick LaCrosse at 7:40 p.m. Miner was pulling out of a business at 6132 Martin Luther King St. N. as a motorcycle driven by Eli Ulibarri, 20, was heading southbound.

When Miner attempted to cross the road to head northbound, the motorcycle struck the driver’s side of his vehicle, the agency wrote in an email to media.

“The motorcyclist attempted to avoid collision and locked up his brakes, causing him to slide into the side of the vehicle,” the email noted.

Ulibarri, who was wearing a helmet, suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Miner was not injured.

Detectives say that alcohol and speed were not factors in the crash.

Further details are not yet available.

Image via Shutterstock