BSO Welcomes Family Of Fallen Deputy At Airport, Provides Escort
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – On Tuesday, the Broward Sheriff's Office welcomed the family of a deputy who was killed in a deadly crash on Sunday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The family of Deputy Benjamin Nimtz had been out of town when he lost his life over the weekend.
One of the photos posted on BSO's Facebook page shows Deputy Benjamin Nimtz's widow, alongside BSO Sheriff Gregory Tony with a caption that reads:
"Yesterday was the first step towards honoring our fallen hero, Deputy Benjamin Nimtz. Deputy Nimtz's wife and family were out of town at the time of his tragic death, so #BSO made sure their trip was seamless. We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice paid by Deputy Nimtz."
Deputy Nimtz, 30, was responding to a domestic violence call, with lights and sirens activated around 3 a.m., BSO said.
He and another deputy, driving separate BSO vehicles, were headed southbound on Military Trail approaching the intersection of Southwest 10th Street.
As the first BSO vehicle made its way through the intersection, it crashed with a Toyota Tundra that was headed eastbound on Southwest 10th Street. The second BSO deputy, who witnessed the crash, immediately called for help.
Another photo, posted on Tuesday, shows BSO motorcycle units and other police vehicles providing escort for the family:
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue transported Deputy Nimtz and the sole occupant of the pickup, Darran Johnson, 32, to Broward Health North. Deputy Nimtz was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Johnson was hospitalized with non-life threatening injures and is expected to be OK. Police are now saying that a preliminary investigation shows that Johnson was speeding at the time of the crash.
Based on the preliminary investigation and the extent of damage to both vehicles, BSO traffic homicide detectives said Johnson was speeding, and his excessive speed was a contributing factor to the crash.
Detectives are waiting for the results of Johnson's toxicology test.
Nimtz had his lights and sirens on at the time of the crash, according to BSO.
Sunday afternoon, the body of Deputy Nimtz was escorted from the hospital to the medical examiner.