ABC News (HARDEE COUNTY, Fla.) — Hurricane Irma claimed its first victims as it slammed into Florida on Sunday.
A sheriff’s deputy and a corrections officer were both killed in a car accident Sunday morning in two of the first U.S. fatalities attributed to the most powerful Atlantic storm in a decade.
Julie Bridges, a 13-year member of the Hardee County force, died in a two-car accident while driving home Sunday morning following a night shift, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Florida Department of Corrections Sgt. Joseph Ossman also died in the crash, according to a statement from Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Florida Highway Patrol said Ossman was on his way to work Sunday morning when the accident occurred.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, visibility was low and it was raining at the time of the accident.
The department is continuing to urge the public not to drive and to seek shelter as Irma moves up the state’s western coast.
A total of over 30 people have died as a result of the hurricane. At least five people have been killed in Florida, and 27 others were killed across the Caribbean, according to authorities.
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.