SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Officials are investigating after a bicyclist was hit and killed by an on-duty Sarasota County Sheriff's Office deputy's SUV on Thursday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol said around 11:38 p.m., a 25-year-old deputy was driving the marked SUV north on US-41, approaching a green light at the intersection of Bay Street in Osprey.
While the SUV approached the intersection, a 22-year-old woman was riding her bike across the northbound lanes of US-41. The front left of the SUV then collided with the woman.
FHP said the victim was critically injured and taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She was not wearing a helmet.
All north and southbound lanes on S. Tamiami Trail at the Bay Street intersection and east and westbound lanes on Bay Street at the intersection are closed. Drivers should take alternate routes to avoid the area.
Officials said an update will be provided when the roads are reopened. The crash is still being investigated.
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.
