Sept. 27--POMPANO BEACH -- A 22-year veteran Broward Sheriff's motorcycle deputy died Wednesday following a collision with a car in Pompano Beach, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Deputy Christopher Schaub's motorcycle collided with a silver Mercedes-Benz at the intersection of West McNab Road and North Andrews Avenue around 2:20 p.m.
A BSO helicopter flew the critically injured Schaub, 47, to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where he was pronounced dead at 6:45 p.m.
"His heart gave out six times and he was brought back to life," Sheriff Al Lamberti said. "He kept struggling and struggling and struggling to the point he couldn't struggle any more; a pretty valiant effort."
The woman driving the Mercedes was taken to Broward Health North Medical Center as a precaution because her injuries were not as severe, BSO spokesman Mike Jachles said.
Schaub was on duty at the time of the crash that happened west of I-95, the agency said.
More than 100 BSO deputies and officers from other law enforcement agencies gathered at Broward Health Medical Center to keep a vigil. His son, BSO Deputy Timothy Schaub, was among them, along with family and friends.
"Law enforcement officers are like anyone else. This is someone who they know, who they work with every day, who they love," BSO spokeswoman Dani Moschella said at the hospital. "It's a very emotional day for the Broward Sheriff's Office and for everybody who knows and loves Deputy Schaub."
Deputies and officers lined the hospital's main entrance, standing at attention, as a flag-draped stretcher brought the deputy's body to a van for transport to the Broward Medical Examiner's Office. Dozens of motorcycles and patrol cars provided an escort around 9:30 p.m.
The Pompano Beach intersection reopened to traffic around 6 p.m. after motorists were detoured for more than three hours during the investigation, Jachles said.
The motorcycle was in pieces, and the hood of the Mercedes was buckled following the collision.
The front end of the car was smashed and the driver's side front tire was flat.
The driver's name was not released late Wednesday.
Schaub, who patrolled from the Pompano Beach district, joined the motorcycle patrol a few years ago after many years as a detective, Lamberti said after consoling family and fellow deputies.
"It's the toughest part [of the job] but you just try to comfort [the family] as best you can, grieve with them and let them know they are not going to go through it by themselves," Lamberti said. "We're all going to go through it together."
Funeral arrangements were pending.
By early Thursday, the Sheriff's Office had a special tribute to Schaub on the homepage of its website. It can be found at www.sheriff.org.
Staff Writer Juan Ortega contributed to this report.
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