Motorcyclist seriously injured in crash with deputy

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - A young man should be getting ready to celebrate his 21st birthday on Thursday, but instead, he's in the hospital after a very serious accident with a sheriff's deputy Tuesday night.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says it happened shortly after 7:30 p.m. at Martin Luther King Street North and 62nd Avenue N in St. Petersburg.

Investigators say Corporal Joe Miner was in his unmarked patrol car and had just pulled out of a business on MLK when the motorcycle ran into him.

Eli Ulibarri, the driver of the motorcycle, reportedly tried to avoid the collision and locked up his brakes, but it was too late.

The 20-year-old was seriously hurt, and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he remained Wednesday morning.

Officials said Ulibarri was wearing a helmet, and that it did not appear as if he was speeding or impaired.

Cpl. Miner was not injured in the crash.