JUPITER, Fla. — Two people, including a Palm Beach County deputy, were taken to the hospital on Thursday morning following a serious crash on Indiantown Road in Jupiter, authorities said.
Teri Barbera, a spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, said a truck struck the deputy's patrol car just before 6 a.m. on Indiantown Road near Florida's Turnpike.
The deputy was heading home from his shift when he was hit.
Barbera said the deputy was knocked unconscious, and both the deputy and driver of the truck were taken to St. Mary's Medical Center. Barbera said the deputy is conscious and is expected to survive, while the other driver is in surgery.
A picture from the scene showed a smashed-up PBSO patrol car in a grassy median, along with a badly damaged white pickup truck on Indiantown Road.
All westbound lanes of Indiantown Road were shut down for hours between Interstate 95 and the Turnpike, along with the northbound and southbound ramps to Indiantown Road on the Turnpike.
Gracie Baker was one of many drivers who lost more than 45 minutes driving around the gridlock.
"I got stuck in traffic and had to reroute, take Hobe Sound to get all the way to [Seminole] Pratt Whitney [Road] to get to work in [Jupiter] Farms," Baker said.
All lanes were back open just before 11 a.m.
Barry Rice said he caught the end of the traffic jam just as the road was reopening.
"When I got there, they were just picking up the cones," Rice said. "One of the cops said it was like a t-bone."
Drivers in the area said it's a tough spot for crashes because taking alternate routes using Beeline Highway or Seminole Pratt Whitney Road significantly adds time to their commute.
"If there's one accident, you're instantly delayed like 30 minutes, probably, if not more," Baker said.