DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An off-duty Florida sheriff's deputy was killed when a van ran a stop sign and hit his bicycle as he headed out for a 35-mile (56-kilometer) bike ride.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood told reporters that Senior Deputy Frank Scofield died at the hospital some three hours after the Sunday morning crash near Daytona Beach.
He says 58-year-old Scofield was training for an annual bike ride in New York to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Chitwood says the crash was so powerful that Scofield's bike was split in half and the seat post was ripped off. A trauma doctor witnessed the crash and started CPR before paramedics arrived.
The Florida Highway Patrol says the van was driven by 75-year-old Lajos Toth. An investigation continues.
Today, we lost one of the best.
— Volusia Co. Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) June 2, 2019
Senior Deputy Frank Scofield, 58, lost his life this morning when a vehicle failed to stop at the intersection of Tomoka Farms Road and Pioneer Trail and hit Scofield on his bicycle.
Florida Highway Patrol is handling the crash investigation. pic.twitter.com/HjPM5dCLtt