St. Tammany Deputy Injured While Escorting Funeral
Written by WGNO ABC26 News
Friday, 06 November 2009 11:30
ABC26 News
At approximately 1 p.m. today the Covington Police Department was notified of a traffic accident involving a pick-up truck and a St. Tammany Parish Sherriff's Office Motorcycle on Collins Blvd. near its intersection with N. Lee Rd.
Covington Officers and St. Tammany Parish Deputies arrived on the scene and began diverting traffic which was backed up due to the lunchtime rush.
Preliminary investigation indicates the pick-up truck pulled onto Collins Blvd. and struck the Deputy riding the motorcycle. The deputy, escorting a funeral at the time, went over the handlebars of the motorcycle and landed approximately 10 yards from the point of impact.
The Deputy, 44-year-old Tyren Bennett of the Sheriff's Office Traffic Division, was transported to St. Tammany Parish Hospital. At the time of this release the extent of his injuries are unknown, but not believed to be life threatening. Bennett was riding a 2007 Harley Davidson Police Motorcycle at the time of the accident. The driver of the pick-up truck was not injured.
The driver of the pick-up truck, Wendy Steimile, 50, of Covington, was driving a 1993 Dodge Truck. Steimile was cited for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.
