Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Dies While On Duty
Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Patrick Ambroise was killed on Saturday May 15, 2010 at 8:30 pm while on duty in Miami-Dade county. He was stopped in his patrol vehicle on the side of Florida's Turnpike near the Okeechobee Road toll plaza when a black Lexus automobile veered from the northbound lane onto the shoulder, slamming into the trooper's 2006 Crown Victoria. The car burst into flames, trapping him inside.
Trooper Ambroise is survived by two daughters, ages 3 months and 5 years, and his wife of 6 years, Roberta.
Trooper Ambroise is a graduate of Miami Edison high school and began his career with the Florida Highway Patrol in January of 2006. Although he and his family had moved to Miramar he and his family still attended church in Little Haiti, where he was raised, at Eden Seventh Day Adventist Church every Sunday where he sang with the Gospel group and worked as an elder to the church's youth.
The driver of the other vehicle was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Rider Trauma Center with serious injuries but was in stable condition on Sunday. No charges have been filed in the accident and it is still under investigation.
It is important to note that in an effort to reduce these type of accidents, in 2002 Florida passed the Move Over Law which requires drivers to slowdown or be one lane away from police, ambulances and tow truck drove drivers on the shoulder or side of the road.
This accident highlights the reason for the passage of the Move Over Law as well as the danger patrol officers put themselves in every day while attempting to keep the general public safe. We should all keep Trooper Ambroise in mind and slow move over or slow down the next time we see a patrol or other service vehicle on the side of one of Florida's roadways.
