A veteran St. Johns County Sheriff’s deputy is recovering after getting hit by a minibus during a traffic stop last week, leaving him with a broken hand and injured shoulder.
Now he’s preaching a valuable lesson about Florida’s Move Over Law, which he says the driver who hit him violated.
“I thank God, honestly that I’m alive,” said Deputy Joey Romer whose hand is wrapped up and arm is in a sling. “And it was just a matter of inches. I mean, here I am.”
Romer has been protecting the streets of St. Johns County since 1984 – 40 years of service as a patrol sergeant, a detective, and a K-9 handler. He retired in 2015 but came back as a part-time reserve deputy.
“I thoroughly enjoy it, I do, I came back as a reserve, and just really enjoy helping the guys I volunteered to, you know, work Christmas Eve and throughout the night.”
That dedication nearly cost him his life.
“Maybe six inches” in the other direction would have killed him, he believes.
It was December 27 around 6 p.m. and dark. Romer had pulled over a man for reckless driving on US 1 and International Golf Parkway.
“So as I approach I always I’ll touch a car. And I usually hold the flashlight out, I’ve come out and I’ve been shot at a few times.”
As he approached the window, a minibus in the right lane was coming his way.
“I look up again and he’s just probably within two to three seconds from me,” he recalled. “So I just kind of reacted and got clipped. I think it was the extension of the mirror. I don’t know. I just feel bad for the dispatcher that had to listen to my screaming because I said, ‘I’ve been hit. I’ve been hit. I need rescue code three.’”
Dispatch audio obtained by News4JAX documents his frantic radio call for help.
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Source: news4jax
