Two Palm Beach County deputies died and a third is in critical condition after they were hit by an SUV that had veered off the side of the road Thursday morning near Loxahatchee, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.The crash occurred around 9 a.m. at 18000 Southern Boulevard, just west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, near Lion Country Safari. The deputies were riding their department-issued motorcycles when they were struck by the SVU that had unintentionally gone off the side of the road, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.Southern Boulevard was closed to traffic west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, including Lion Country Safari. All three deputies were taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach via Trauma Hawks where the two were pronounced dead.Bradshaw said the injured deputy underwent surgery, and is in critical but stable condition.The deputies had not been identified yet.”I tell people all the time, law enforcement, public safety and military, when they kiss their family goodbye, it might be the might last time,” Bradshaw said. “I’m sure deputies not in wildest dreams thought this would happen.”When deputies die, a piece of community dies with them.”Bradshaw said he saw all three deputies at his party on Nov. 5 celebrating being elected to his fifth term as sheriff.Bradshaw described to media what led up to the crash.They were working traffic enforcement, clocking cars that were going eastbound on Southern.One of the motorcyclists was on the side with a dead battery and the two others came over to assist. They were waiting for a PBSO vehicle to get a battery jumper.The woman, driving the SUV, veered to the right to get around a slow car when SUV went into the side of the road. She hit all the deputies, who went airborne.”One of those things,” Bradshaw said. “You over compensate. Tires get on the edge of the road.”Bradshaw said the driver was going the speed limit which is 55 mph. She suffered minor injuries, according to Bradshaw.Florida Highway Patrol is the lead agency investigating the crash.

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