HCSO Deputy Injured After Struck on I-75 During Separate Traffic Stop

Corporal Niomi Bruce of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is recovering at home after being thrown from her seat when another vehicle struck the rear of her patrol car on I-75. The collision occurred while Bruce was responding to a separate incident, and she has since been released from the hospital.

The sequence of events began on Monday, October 19, around 10 p.m. when deputies conducted a traffic stop for a vehicle swerving out of its lane. The driver fled the initial stop, prompting HCSO Aviation Unit helicopters to track the car. Video from the helicopters showed the vehicle eventually leaving the road, entering a construction zone on I-75, and rolling down an embankment onto U.S. 301.

Bruce was among the officers who arrived to secure that crash scene. She sat inside her patrol vehicle, waiting for a tow truck and speaking with her sergeant through the passenger window, when an unrelated vehicle slammed into her car. Her emergency lights were active at the time of the impact.

Bruce described the moment of impact as a point where she hit her laptop, rearview mirror, and front windshield. Body camera footage and 911 audio released by the sheriff’s office show her telling colleagues she could not feel her legs. Doctors diagnosed her with a lower back tear, bruising, whiplash, and muscle damage. The loss of feeling in her lower extremities was temporary.

Sheriff Chad Chronister said the incident was a reminder of the physical risks the department faces. He noted that when a deputy is injured and temporarily unable to move, it affects the entire workforce. "Please, this job is dangerous enough," Chronister said. "You know, move over."

The driver who struck Bruce was 21 years old and has been cited for careless driving. Separately, four people from the initial rollover crash have been arrested. They are Leo Gradley III, 29; Angel Pribble, 27; Jasmine Likely, 36; and Andrew Hopson, 33. All four face traffic and drug-related charges.

Florida law requires drivers to move over one lane when they see a stopped vehicle with hazard lights, flares, or emergency signage. If changing lanes is not safe, drivers must slow down to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit.