PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – As law enforcement officers from across South Florida mourned the loss of a Pembroke Pines police motorman in a fatal crash Thursday, a witness recounted the sudden mischance that claimed the veteran officer’s life.
Officer Charles “Charlie” Herring, 54, was riding his police motorcycle south on 184th Avenue near Sheridan Street that morning.
A woman who said she witnessed the crash and asked not to be identified, described what happened next.
“All of a sudden, a palm frond fell down right on top of him,” she said.
Friday noon report:
The woman said she was driving right behind Herring.
“(He) hit the curb, (the) cycle flew one way and he flew another way,” she said. “I called 911.”
Drivers pulled over to try to help, to no avail.
Herring was pronounced dead after being taken to Memorial Regional Hospital.
He was the first Pembroke Pines police officer to die in the line of duty.
Police Chief Kipp Shimpeno expressed shock over the freak accident in a news conference Thursday night.
“I really can’t explain it other than it’s got to be an act of God,” Shimpeno said.
Herring had served with the department since 2002.
“Charlie’s touched pretty much every person in this agency and so many people in the community,” Shimpeno said. “It’s definitely going to take some time and a lot of togetherness to get through this.”
Herring, a U.S. Army veteran, is survived by his three children.