SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Family and colleagues were present, Wednesday, as a section of the Florida Turnpike was renamed after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who was killed in the line of duty.
The stretch of road will be named Trooper Patrick Ambroise Memorial Highway, and it is meant to honor Patrick Ambroise, who was killed in the line of duty in May 2010.
Two signs will be placed on the Turnpike between mile markers 34 and 26, bearing Ambroise’s name.
Ambroise’s patrol car was struck from behind while he was stopped on the shoulder of the Turnpike near Okeechobee Road and Hialeah Gardens.
The car veered onto the shoulder, striking Ambroise’s car, causing it to burst into flames while he was trapped inside.
Ambroise left behind a wife and two daughters, 5 years old and 3 months old, at the time of his death.
“No family ever wants to get that call, so it is truly a privilege to be here today to memorialize his sacrifice forever,” said FHP director Col. Gene Spaulding.
Ambroise’s widow said the pain is still very real as their daughters grow up and ask questions about their dad.
“Although it’s been a hard road for us, God has pulled us through,” said Roberta Ambroise. “He always been there for us, and faith and hope is what keep us going.”
“When you see a young man that is starting his life with a beautiful family lose his life, there is no way to make sense of it,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz.
“It’s tough to relive the events that occurred in 2010,” said FHP director Col. Gene Spaulding. “Unfortunately, the Florida Highway Patrol has lost 46 members in the line of duty. That’s more than any individual agency in the State of Florida.”
Ambroise was a four-year veteran of the department and according to his widow, he loved his job.
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