MIRAMAR BEACH — A Walton County Sheriff’s deputy ran over a 21-year-old woman who was asleep on the beach Tuesday evening.
The Sheriff's Office reported that Florida Highway Patrol investigators have found Deputy Chad Biernacki, 30, at fault in the incident.
The woman, Jessica Nystrom from Destin, was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast with serious injuries, according to the FHP. She was released from the hospital Wednesday.
Biernacki was patrolling the beach southwest of Pompano Joe’s in his Ford pickup truck shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday when he came across a group of underage drinkers and issued them notices to appear.
After clearing the scene, he got back into his truck.
Nystrom was lying on the beach west of the truck, facing in a northeasterly direction, according to the FHP.
Biernacki did not see her.
He drove forward then turned right to make a U-turn and his right front tire rolled over the right side of her body.
Biernacki told Sheriff's Office investigators that he felt “a slight bump” and heard a female voice curse.
He said that at no time did anyone yell at him to stop or try to flag him down to let him know he was going to hit someone.
When Biernacki got out of the truck he found two women in front of it. Nystrom had a tire mark on her right shoulder.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the woman had been asleep on the beach for more than 20 minutes and did not wake up until the truck hit her.
The FHP reported that the crash was still under investigation Wednesday afternoon. They had not released any information on charges.
That information will likely not be available until Friday, said Major A.J. Smith with the Sheriff’s Office.
Once the Sheriff’s Office receives a copy of FHP's final report they will send it to their own accident review board to determine whether any disciplinary actions are warranted, he said.
In the meantime, Biernacki will remain on active duty.
An initial FHP news release said alcohol was not a factor for Biernacki or Nystrom.
Smith said that immediately after the crash Biernacki submitted to the standard breathalyzer test, which showed no signs of alcohol, and urine screenings, the results of which were not yet available.
Smith said that beach patrol officers who have been with the Sheriff's Office for 15 years said they could not remember an incident like this happening. Even so, he has asked deputies to start developing additional advanced training on the specific skills needed for beach driving.
“You can never train too much when you are dealing with high-liability areas like operating a vehicle, especially when it is in crowded and congested areas like the beach,” he said.
He said deputies must be on the beach to ensure the public’s safety and reduce crime.
“It's necessary to be there, but we certainly don't want to put anybody at risk so we are going to do everything we can to make sure that this does not happen again.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 or lreinlie@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.