Indian Shores officer drives over sunbathing beachgoer
INDIAN SHORES, Fla. - A Michigan man laying out on the beach in Indian Shores Friday was run over by an officer driving a fully-marked police SUV, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
It happened just before 6 p.m. Friday, May 8, south of the 193rd Avenue Beach Access.
Deputies say 27-year-old Indian Shores Police Officer Natasha Hindman had just begun her beach patrol and was traveling at a slow speed in a police department Ford Explorer police cruiser when her left-side tires drove over the hips of a 66-year-old man.
MORE: Beach capacity website shows Pass-A-Grille at capacity within first hour
Investigators say the officer stopped and rendered aid until the man was taken to Bayfront Health in St. Petersburg with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.
Officer Hindman was not injured in the incident.
Deputies say neither speed nor impairment appear to be a factor in the crash, but an investigation is underway.
Busy beaches expected Mother’s Day weekend
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office launched its new Beach Capacity Dashboard website Friday afternoon to show beachgoers, in real-time, every bridge, parking lot, and beach access point -- and whether those spots are open, nearing capacity, or overcrowded and closed.