Third PBSO motorcycle officer dies from injuries sustained in SUV crash

On By Pranco

Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz was treated at St. Mary’s Medical Center following Thursday’s wreck west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road.

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(This story has been updated to add new information)

WELLINGTON – A third deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office involved in a traffic accident near Loxahatchee died last week, the agency said.

Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz succumbed to his injuries Monday, Nov. 25, shortly before 12:45 p.m., according to a statement from the agency. Diaz was one of three PBSO motorcycle officers involved in a roadside crash the morning of Nov. 21 on Southern Boulevard west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road.

PBSO Cpl. Luis Paez and Deputy Ralph “Butch” Waller died shortly after being flown to St. Mary’s Medical Center the day of the wreck.

The deputies were seriously injured as they stood on the shoulder of Southern with a stalled PBSO motorcycle, waiting for a fourth PBSO deputy to bring them jumper cables. An SUV trying to avoid a car that had stopped in traffic swerved from the center lane onto the shoulder to avoid an accident, but struck the officers.

Paez, Waller and Diaz were conducting traffic enforcement on Southern when someone had trouble restarting his motorcycle, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during a news conference Thursday. Bradshaw said Monday after Diaz’s death that a public memorial for all three deputies will take place on Dec. 3 at the iThink Financial Amphitheater near the South Florida Fairgrounds.

Online obituaries for Paez and Waller indicated that a public memorial will take place at the fairgrounds on December 3 at 10 a.m.

During a news conference Monday, Bradshaw said he returned to South Florida on Sunday from a trip to North Carolina and had a chance to meet with the deputies’ families that evening. He described the fatal crash as a tragic accident and said the officers had their backs to the road when they were struck.

“They never saw it coming,” he said. “They never had the opportunity to take any evasive action. They never had the opportunity to save themselves. They had their backs to the vehicle that ultimately took their lives.”

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 31-year-old Pennsylvania woman was driving a 2019 Jeep SUV and struck officers. A spokesperson for the FHP, which will lead the investigation, said the crash review will take approximately 90 to 120 days. Bradshaw said the driver is cooperating with the investigation.

Diaz joined PBSO in 2004 and has been a member of the motor unit for the past 10 years. Paez was with the agency for 36 years, including the past 20 years as a member of the motor unit. A member for 18 years, Waller joined PBSO when the agency merged with the Royal Palm Beach Police Department.

Eight officers in PBSO history have died after being struck by vehicles while on duty. Thanksgiving Day will mark the 17th anniversary of the last incident before the Nov. 21 crash, when deputies Donta Manuel and Jonathan Wallace were killed while trying to stop a speeding driver in the Glades.

On November 28, 2007, several officers were pursuing a suspected car thief on State Road 715 near the Pahokee Airport when Wallace and Manuel laid out “stop-stick” tire deflation devices designed to slow or stop a motorist. The officers were struck when they tried to remove the devices.

Last week’s crash has prompted tributes to the fallen officers from the law enforcement community and the general public. The Honor Network announced that the U.S. flag of honor will travel from Anchorage, Alaska, to South Florida in honor of the alternates.

The flag was first flown during the recovery efforts at Ground Zero in New York City following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Since then, the flag has traveled millions of miles, honoring members of the military, law enforcement officers, firefighters and other first responders.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @JuliusWhigham. Support our work: Subscribe today.