Comments on: Man Dies After Being Hit By Santa Rosa Deputy’s Vehicle In Century

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 21:14:23 +0000

RIP my dear cousin. I miss your sweet face and kind heart. I love you to the bottom of my heart and miss you dearly. It’s been a little over a year, but I just don’t feel justice has been done in your favor. :’(

By: David

David — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 20:22:54 +0000

The biker’s life was not lost, it was taken. Lights and siren are not a license to run over someone.

“When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
3. When reasonably necessary to avoid any condition or potential conflict, including, but not limited to, a fixed or moving object, parked or moving vehicle, bicycle, pedestrian, animal, surface hazard, turn lane, or substandard-width lane, which makes it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge or within a bicycle lane. For the purposes of this subsection, a “substandard-width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and another vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
(b) Any person operating a bicycle upon a one-way highway with two or more marked traffic lanes may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of such roadway as practicable.”

Exactly what is the ‘middle of the road’. Bike are allowed in the middle of the road (left most of left lane, and anywhere in the lanes when making a left turn. Officers must be responsible for their driving actions, like normal people.

By: Justice

Justice — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 12:24:45 +0000

ET I hope you have spoken to FHP about what you have heard. It’s a terrible shame what happened to this young man and under normal conditions I would agree with the many who are also expressing support of the deputy. I however, know this deputy and his family and they truely need a new and in depth psych eval on him. He has been suicidal more than one time recently and has been known to be abusive and racially inappropriate even though he has immediate family members who are of a race other than white. Now don’t get me wrong, it is not for me to judge him, that’s between him and his maker, I’m just saying something is afoul with his story and even hearsay has it that his own wife wants him to lie (about what I don’t know) and it is a terrible terrible tragedy that a young man lost his life and his family is left to suffer without him and everything should be done to provide justice if justice is needed.

By: shaun

shaun — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 19:08:01 +0000

Im very sad and my heart goes out to his grandmother and his family Paul was a good person and like ALL of us had his flaws but the point is a person life is lost and it was taken by a deputy I thought that is why they have camera’s in the cars and if he was going on a call shouldn’t it be recording regardless, we all make mistakes regardless when the Lord calls you it could be inside of a church when its your time its your time, now we lost a person in the community and im praying for the family John Im sorry for the loss of your brother and the grandmother who raised him Paul did suffer from a illness I seen him riding that bicycle the day before not in the middle of the road if it was it was to cross the street, Im sorry that the officer took a life of him but if he did make a mistake please own up to it get it off your concious, check with the monitors on the dashboard cameras. This bs about them being in a different county who cares its not like he was Atmore it was across the bridge this person is life is taken away and Im pretty positive the family doesnt have money for the burial and the deputy needs to talk about it and not keep it bottled up. I am praying for the best on the situation. God Bless.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 03:24:12 +0000

Speculation is all I hear on here. The point is, the deputy is the operator of a motor vehicle. As an operator, YOU are responsible for what is in your lane of traffic regardless of who or what it is. Even if the lights were on doesn’t excuse the act. Having been an emergency responder myself, the fundamentals of operating an emergency vehicle were rooted in defensive driving. Even though you in ” emergency mode ” as some call it, you still have to have others yield the right of way to you.

By: Very Concerned

Very Concerned — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 21:44:11 +0000

I m Knew The young man that was killed ,and I do not believe the truth was told, Paul never road the Bike I gave him in the middle of the road, and if The cop would have had his siron mon Paul would have got out of his way, I would like to see this checked into. The Santa Rosa Police alls come to century, and when they head back they are speeding, I belive Paul was on the left side if the road, and The cop was travling so fast he out ran his head lights. There for that would cause him to hit Paul. Please if someone has anyway to check into this .Please do.Cops think they can speed late at night. and I feel the truth will come out. God Bless his Family.

By: Joyce Day

Joyce Day — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 01:36:23 +0000

My husband and I have known Paul for a number of years and were very sorry to hear of his death. We are praying for his family that God will help them mightily through this terrible ordeal.

By: Berrydale/Jay Resident

Berrydale/Jay Resident — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 18:59:02 +0000

REGARDLESS of where the deputy was in not what’s important. It doesn’t matter what county they are in as long as dispatch knows where they are. If you live up in the Jay area you will notice that MANY of the Escambia county deputies ALWAYS come up to Jay to eat.

Nonetheless, in an emergency situation the bicyclist should’ve left the middle of the road for his own safety, nor should he have lost his life. Prayers are with the families of both involved.

Deputy Miller is an fantastic deputy, and many need to realize that the North end of our county only has ONE deputy at all times unless there is something major going on. So before anyone wants to judge what the deputy was doing and why. Maybe flood Mr. Hall with your concerns and help get more than ONE officer in the North end. Take a moment to look at google earth and see how much of the county ONE officer has to cover on his/her patrol in a shift.

Deputy Miller our deepest sympathies are with you, as I know you are sincerely sorry for what has taken place. I pray that we all will see you back on the road very soon. May the Lord bring comfort and peace to both families and friends.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 17:32:38 +0000

Whether the cyclist was in the middle of the road or not isn’t material. Bikes are vehicles, like cars, and may use the full lane when it’s appropriate to do so. The law says bikes must ride as close to the right of the roadway as is safe and practical, but the shoulders are often filled with glass and debris, making them unpassable. We just don’t know, based on this report, but being “in the middle of the road” doesn’t mean the cyclist was at fault.

What *would* be relevant — and I say this as an active cyclist — is knowing if the rider’s bike was equipped with lights and reflectors. These are legally required after dusk. I ride quite a bit at night, and I’m lit-up like a circus. Even though modern car headlights are pretty good, it’s only sensible to be properly marked and illuminated after dark.

To those who have mentioned they have to “avoid” cyclists on the road — yeah, you’re supposed to do this, as you would avoid another car. People on bikes have no desire to slow or annoy motorists. We’re just trying to get where we are going, like you. Please share the road, and we’ll do our part to operate legally and predictably.

By: ME

ME — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 15:51:00 +0000

The deputy was probably in Century Eating if I had to guess. There is nothing open in Jay early on a Sunday morning, so the Whataburger in Century is the closest thing.