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Sergeant Wesley Richard Whitmore, Jr. of Polk County Sheriff’s Office was killed when the driver of an Escalade crashed into his patrol car.
According to witnesses, before hitting the officer, the driver of the Escalade went through metal barriers, struck a woman, Wanda Perez, that was standing outside her own business, crashed into her business, went through a parking lot and then smashed into the patrol car, the force of which spun the patrol car in 180 degrees, before continuing through shrubbery, through a retention pond and into an intersection.
According to the report, there were no indications the driver ever hit the brakes and the police are still trying to determine how the driver lost control of the vehicle.
The business owner who was first struck suffered injuries and was transported to Winter Have Hospital.
In Florida, the surviving family of 60-year-old Sgt. Wesley Richard Whitmore, Jr., may have a claim for wrongful death against the driver of the Escalade. Wrongful death actions have been recognized for the surviving family members to recover for the damages that result from the loss of a spouse and/or father. Such claims for negligence must be brought within two (2) years of the date of incident.