Cops probe turnpike crash after truck hits psychiatric patient who ‘escaped’ hospital
Authorities are investigating a crash on Florida’s Turnpike in Southwest Miami-Dade after a flatbed truck hit a psychiatric patient who escaped from a hospital Monday afternoon, according to Miami-Dade police.
The patient — a man in his 20s — was transported back to Kendall Regional Medical Center in stable condition as police shut down the turnpike’s southbound lanes near Bird Road for about three hours.
Police did not provide the name of the man or the driver.
In a statement sent Monday night, authorities said a psychiatric patient “became violent with hospital staff” shortly before 4 p.m. as he “attempted to escape” the hospital.
As he ran outside, staff members asked an off-duty officer for help. The officer tried to detain the patient, resulting in an altercation, before he ran across Southwest 40th Street, police said.
Additional officers tried to convince the patient to stop running, police said, but he gained access to the Turnpike’s southbound lanes — where he was struck by a man driving a flatbed truck.
No other injuries were reported.
Hospital officials did not immediately respond to the Herald’s request for comments Monday night.
On Tuesday, a hospital spokesperson, Natalie Alatriste, declined to say how one of their psychiatric patients escaped, citing patient privacy laws.
“We are committed to the safety of our patients and colleagues,” she said.
