NYT, June 11, 2009

Fla. Cop Suspended After Running Over Sunbather

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- A rookie police officer has been suspended for seven days for running over a woman sunbathing on a north Florida beach. An internal affairs investigation released Wednesday by the Jacksonville Beach Police Department concluded that Officer Lewis Keller was negligent and at fault for the May 1 accident.

Keller was making a U-turn in his sport utility vehicle when he rolled over 41-year-old Anne Marie Giffin of Jacksonville. Investigators said Keller and another man lifted the SUV off Giffin while other people pulled her out.

Giffin was treated for a broken pelvis and ribs, along with head and spinal injuries.

Keller told investigators he didn't see Giffin lying in the sand, but Chief Bruce Thomason concluded that Keller wasn't driving safely.

[Hey, MOJ readers, it's summer.  Lighten up!]