Oct. 05--A 22-year veteran of the Broward Sheriff's Office suffered head injuries, a broken vertebra and a broken leg in Palm Beach County on Thursday after he, along with another deputy, stopped to help a driver on Interstate 95 and was struck by a car, authorities say.
Deputy Joseph Bialczak, 50, was taken to Delray Medical Center, where his condition was improving, Sheriff Al Lamberti said. He was knocked unconscious during the accident, but was alert and talking at the hospital, the sheriff said.
"Our thoughts and prayers go to Deputy Joe Bialczak," Lamberti said. "Thankfully, they're not life-threatening [injuries]."
No one else was injured during Thursday's accident, which happened about 5:30 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95, north of the Sixth Avenue South exit, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Lamberti said the crash reminded him of Broward Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Schaub, who died Sept. 26 while on duty in Pompano Beach after a collision between his Harley-Davidson and a Mercedes-Benz. That accident remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Office.
"My first reaction: I can't believe this is happening just a week after Deputy Chris Schaub was struck and killed in Pompano Beach," Lamberti said. "Here's another one. It just proves that deputies are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
Thursday, Bialczak and Broward Sheriff's Deputy Michael Conroy were in their marked cruisers driving to work when they came upon a 2007 Toyota Yaris, driven by Cristobal R. Castillo Leal, 41, of Pompano Beach, that had just crashed, officials said. Leal had lost control of his vehicle, which struck a wall, spun off it and came to rest in one of the lanes, the Highway Patrol said.
Bialczak and Conroy turned on their cruisers' emergency lights, Lamberti said. They stopped and positioned their cruisers in two lanes, behind the disabled Toyota, to protect its driver from being rear-ended.
Conroy looked over his shoulder and saw a 2004 Mazda, driven by Luis Alberto Perilla, 27, of Hollywood, that was approaching, officials said. Conroy jumped out of the way, but the Mazda struck the Toyota and then hit Bialczak, who was standing next to the Toyota, officials said.
The impact threw Bialczak onto the hood of the Mazda, which carried him about 20 feet before he was hurled onto the pavement, Lamberti said. "It hit him so hard that it knocked his gun belt off of his body," he said.
Conroy stayed with Bialczak until paramedics arrived, Lamberti said.
The Mazda driver stayed at the crash site; toxicology test results are pending, officials said. Perilla has received four speeding tickets during the past five years, the latest of which was received in Palm Beach County this May, state records show. Adjudication was withheld for all four tickets, meaning no conviction was recorded in those cases.
Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.
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