DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida police officer faces a long road to recovery, more than a week after she was struck by a car while trying to help a driver on Interstate 75.
Davie Police Sgt. Patricia Ravine sustained severe injuries when she pulled over to help the motorist, Aug. 3. “She does have a traumatic brain injury. She has a lot of significant injury to her body,” said her husband, Shawn Ravine, himself a Davie Police sergeant. “She is not walking. She walks with a walker.”
7News cameras captured Ravine’s mother embracing her son-in-law. She broke down in tears when explaining the challenges her daughter faces on a daily basis. “She has a difficult time trying to express things,” said Sandra Hardwick. “She’ll look at me, and she’s in pain, and she’ll say, ‘Mom, help me,’ and you can’t help her. She’ll reach out, and you don’t know what to do. That’s hard when your child wants help, and you can’t be there.”
Patricia, a 10-year veteran with the police department, was out of her jurisdiction when she pulled over to help the motorist who, authorities said, was driving drunk when he overturned his white Ford Explorer along the southbound lanes of I-75, near the Griffin Road exit and Royal Palm Boulevard, just after midnight.
“She saw this crash, and she saw that no one was there, and she stopped to get out to check on the driver,” said her husband. “She got onto the shoulder, and a distracted driver failed to move over.”
According to investigators, the driver of a Kia sedan swerved to avoid hitting Patricia’s patrol vehicle and ended up striking her instead. She flew into the air, and when she landed, she hit her head.
Patricia needs speech and physical therapy, and the list goes on and on, according to her family. “One day she’s talking and she’s smiling, and the next day she’s not saying anything,” said Shawn. “We have four children, and school’s starting, and there’s a lot of responsibility, and she’s frustrated because she can’t help.”
What upsets Patricia’s loved ones is that this accident could have been avoided. “I’m not angry. I just wish people would pay attention,” said Hardwick. “You see it on the news all the time, but when it happens to you, it’s just different.”
Shawn has taken a leave of absence to care for his wife and children. “We need prayers. It’s most important to get her back to herself,” he said.
The Davie Fraternal Order of Police has set up a GoFundMe page because the Ravines’ home needs to be reconstructed to handle Patricia’s mobility restrictions. If you would like to make a donation, click on this link.
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