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Donation Fund for Deputies Killed, Injured in Southern Blvd. crash
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Donation Fund for Deputies Killed, Injured in Southern Blvd. crash

With fellow first responders and many members of the community looking to help the families of the two deputies who died and the only deputy still fighting for his life after a Thursday morning crash, a new fund is providing a place where they can donate to the cause.

The Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association (PBCPBA) set up the fund and posted a link Friday morning where people can go to contribute. The organization assured donors that all donations will go to the MPs’ families.

“Families are going to need some money,” explained ARC Florida President John Kazanjian. “These are single providers and they’re gone now. So we’re going to have to help families a lot.”

Corporal Luis Paez and Deputy Sheriff Ralph “Butch” Waller lost their lives when an SUV crashed into them and their motorcycles on Southern Boulevard near the Arden Clubhouse. The third deputy who was hit, Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz, is located critical condition at the St. Medical Center Mary’s, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) reported.

The three deputies were conducting a traffic stop when one of them had motorcycle trouble, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. They were together waiting for assistance when a woman driving an SUV veered off the side of the road, hit the guard rail and ricocheted straight into them.

Paez and Waller were both longtime veterans of the Sheriff’s Office, with more than half a century of experience between them, PBSO reported. Paez started as a corrections officer 36 years ago before moving to the highway patrol, where he “passionately served as a motor deputy for more than 20 years.”

Waller had been a member of the motor unit for nearly as long as Paez. The sheriff’s office said he served with distinction for more than 18 years. He began his career with the Royal Palm Beach Police Department and joined PBSO when the agencies merged in 2008.

See also: ‘A Shining Light’: Remembering Palm Beach County Deputies Fallen After Traffic Accident

Diaz also served Palm Beach County for many years. The sheriff’s office said he joined in 2004 and has been with the motor unit for ten years.

During a press conference Thursday, Bradshaw he remembered each of the deputiessaying, “When an MP dies, part of the community dies with them.”

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