Sept. 13--The husband of a West Palm Beach woman involved in a crash Sunday that led to the death of a veteran Jupiter Police officer working the presidential motorcade released a statement this morning expressing their condolences.
Marion Holloway sent an email to The Palm Beach Post on behalf of him and his wife, Susan Holloway, 56, whose pickup truck crashed into a motorcycle ridden by Bruce St. Laurent, 55, on Interstate 95 as the officer led a motorcade for President Obama.
The note reads: "It is with a very heavy heart I write this. My wife, Susan Holloway and I want to let everyone know of the profound sadness we are experiencing over the tragic accident that took Officer Bruce St Laurent. We want Officer St. Laurent's family, friends and fellow officers to know that Susan is heartbroken beyond words over the accident. It has taken a while to even collect our thoughts enough to try in some small way to express our condolences to Officer St Laurent's family. We know that nothing we say or do will change the facts, however, we feel compelled to communicate our condolences. So, this note is intended to let those that knew and loved Bruce that we are so very sorry for your loss and feel a sense of intense grief we can not describe.
"May God Bless.
"Marion and Susan Holloway"
St. Laurent, a 20-year veteran officer, will be laid to rest Friday at Riverside Memorial Park off County Line Road in Jupiter.
At least 1,500 law enforcement officers are expected to pay their tribute.
County residents who want to pay their respects will be allowed to do so along the route, as long as it's safe to do so.
"The agency is very appreciative of the overall support it has received not only from other agencies but from the citizens within our community and throughout Palm Beach County," said Sgt. Scott Pascarella, spokesman for Jupiter Police.
Because of the number of officers involved, Pascarella said the department expects the procession to be "several miles in length." As a result, traffic at several busy intersections may be halted until the procession makes it through.
The memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. at Christ Fellowship North Campus Church, 5343 Northlake Blvd. It's expected to last about two hours. After the service, the procession will make its way north by way of I-95 to Riverside Memorial Park.
The route is devised to take St. Laurent for one final pass by the Jupiter Police station, where he worked for the last 20 years. St. Laurent leaves his wife, Brenda, and four grown children, Larry, Albert, Lenny and Chartelle.
A native of Fall River, Mass., St. Laurent moved to Jupiter in 1973. Before becoming a Jupiter police officer, he worked as a landscaper and construction worker for Burg and DiVosta.
St. Laurent died Sunday afternoon when Holloway crashed into his motorcycle as she drove on the on-ramp of I-95 off 45th Street. St. Laurent was "leap frogging," a procedure law enforcement escorts follow to stop traffic from merging onto a rolling motorcade.
At the time, St. Laurent was working as part of the president motorcade, which was headed for a campaign event at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
No charges have been filed against Holloway as the investigation continues, said Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Barbera has said that neither alcohol nor drugs played a part in the accident.
A preliminary investigation by the sheriff's office released Monday stated that St. Laurent, who was heading southbound on I-95, crossed several lanes and pulled in front of Holloway's Ford F-150 pickup truck.
The report said Holloway was "attempting to accelerate to a safe speed to merge with southbound traffic," and "attempted to avoid the crash by making a heavy brake application." The report also said St. Laurent "moved into the path of travel" of Holloway's truck.
It's unclear how fast St. Laurent and Holloway were traveling.
St. Laurent was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center shortly after the 4:45 p.m. crash and was declared dead. Holloway was not injured.
A more detailed incident report by the Florida Highway Patrol is expected to be released soon.
President Obama was notified of the crash later Sunday during his flight from Palm Beach International Airport to Washington. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that the president's thoughts and prayers were with St. Laurent's family.
St. Laurent was the second law enforcement officer killed in Palm Beach County while working a motorcade for a president or presidential candidate.
In 1992, Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy Kevin Mathews, 35, died while providing a motorcycle escort for presidential hopeful Paul Tsongas. He was hit by a limousine in Palm Beach and died at the scene. Mathews was honored this May as one of 14 county deputies who died in the line of duty.
The procession's route:
Starts at 5343 Northlake Blvd., and heads east
Turns north on Interstate 95
Turns east on Donald Ross Road
Turns north on Military Trail
Turns east on Indiantown Road
Turns north on Alternate A1A
Turns north on Old Dixie Highway
Turns west on County Line Road and ends at 19351 SE County Line Road
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