Sunbathing Woman Run Over At The Beach By Florida Deputy’s SUV, Sheriff’s Office Says

A Florida sheriff’s deputy ran over a woman who was sunbathing at St. Pete Beach on Wednesday afternoon, according to a news release from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Prior to the crash, authorities said that deputy Todd Brien’s vehicle was in a parked position as he spoke to pedestrians on the beach before being dispatched to investigate a 911 hang-up call at a different location.

Deputy Brien, 58, who was driving a 2017 “fully marked” Chevrolet Tahoe, “made a right turn” as he left to respond to the call, causing him to drive over a 23-year-old woman “while she was lying on her back in the sand,” the sheriff’s office said.

The sunbather was identified as Robin Diffenderfer.

“According to investigators, the front driver side tire of the Tahoe drove over Diffenderfer’s right side and mid to upper back area,” authorities wrote.

The sheriff’s office said Diffenderfer sustained “non-life threatening injuries” and was transported to the hospital for treatment.

Brien, who has been with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for nearly a decade, was not injured in the incident.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

No further details regarding Diffenderfer’s condition have been released.