Motorman with Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office injured in crash, officials say

A veteran motorcycle officer with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office was injured and taken to the hospital Wednesday morning after reportedly being struck from behind by a pickup truck.

According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, units responded to reports of a crash in the area of southwest 127th Avenue and southwest 120th Street in southwest Miami-Dade.

CBS News Miami has learned the injured officer is Christopher Rodriguez, a former Officer of the Month from October 2024. Rodriguez was previously honored for his traffic enforcement work in the Hammocks district and credited with "making the Hammocks a safer place."

Rodriguez was recognized for targeting speeders and reckless drivers, as well as for making arrests of individuals for reckless driving, eluding police, and habitual traffic offenders.

Images on social media captured the moment of impact late Wednesday morning as Rodriguez was struck from behind at a traffic light by a black pickup truck. CBS News Miami also obtained video from a nearby gas station that captured the collision.

Steadman Stahl, the President of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, responded to the scene.

"We had an officer at a traffic light who was rear-ended," Stahl told CBS News Miami. "He is a seasoned police officer who has been in the department for a while, almost 10 years as a motorman. He is a father with a young child. He is going to be OK, fortunately. He was able to walk to the stretcher."

Stahl stressed the dangers of the job, especially for motorcycle officers. "This is a very dangerous job," he said. "There are dangers out there every day, and here you have an officer at a traffic light, and this happens... Once officers get into an accident, we don't know how bad it is."

The Sheriff's Office could not say if the driver would be cited. The driver reportedly told CBS News Miami that he did not want to comment but did stay at the scene. Stahl confirmed a full investigation will be conducted "to make sure no texting was going on and there were no other injuries."