A sheriff’s deputy and a correctional worker were killed in a head-on collision early Sunday morning in Hardee County.
Joseph J. Osman, 53, of Sebring was driving a 2012 Nissan Altima at 6:35 a.m. westbound on State Road 66 approaching Old Crewsville Road, heading to his job at the Hardee County Correctional Institute. Hardee County Deputy Julie Ann Bridges, 42, of Wauchula was driving a marked Hardee County patrol car eastbound on State Road 66, according to a Florida Highway Patrol accident report.
Deputy Bridges was on her way home after finishing a night shift. The front of Osman’s vehicle and the front of Deputy Bridges’ vehicle collided, the report stated. After the impact, the front of Osman’s vehicle traveled off of the roadway, onto the north grass shoulder and came to final rest. Deputy Bridges’ vehicle rotated and came to final rest in the intersection facing west. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
