HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputy was seriously injured in a crash on Saturday after being hit by a DUI suspect, officials said.
Uriel Garcia Nestor, 25, of Ruskin, was arrested and charged with DUI with serious bodily injury; DUI with property damage; and driving while license suspended with serious bodily injury.
According to an HCSO report, Deputy Ivan Clark, 47, was responding to a call regarding a reckless driver near East College Avenue in Ruskin at about 10:30 p.m.
Clark was driving an unmarked 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe westbound on East College Avenue.
While crossing the intersection of 15th Street Southeast, a gray 2010 Ford F-150, driven by Nestor entered the westbound travel lanes from a stop sign and struck Clark’s vehicle on the passenger side.
The impact caused the unmarked Tahoe to roll over several times, ejecting Clark from the vehicle, the report stated.
The Florida Highway Patrol responded to the scene and conducted a traffic crash investigation. Nestor displayed signs of impairment and was arrested by troopers. He had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.103 and 0.121, the report stated.
Clark was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital with serious injuries. He is currently in stable condition.
“Our thoughts are with Deputy Clark, his family and friends during this difficult time,” said Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister. “This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers impaired drivers pose to our community. It is deeply disappointing that someone would make the reckless decision to drive impaired, not only endangering their own life but putting everyone else on the road at risk.”
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
