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Woman sunbathing run over by Florida deputy in SUV on beach

Generic: Day Police Lights
Posted at 7:07 PM, May 06, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-06 21:07:37-04

A woman sunbathing on a Florida beach was injured when she was run over by a deputy driving an SUV while he was out on patrol.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened at St. Pete Beach Wednesday just after 1 p.m.

In a press release, the department said while out on beach patrol, Deputy Todd Brien was parked in a marked Chevrolet Tahoe SUV when he was dispatched to investigate a 911 hang-up call at a different location.

As he made a right turn from his parked position, he ran over 23-year-old Robin Diffenderfer, who was lying on her back in the sand, the sheriff's office said.

Investigators said, "the front driver side tire of the Tahoe drove over Diffenderfer’s right side and mid to upper back area," the department said in the news release.

Diffenderfer was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The 58-year-old deputy was not injured.

According to the sheriff's office, Brien has been with the department since 2013.