PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Florida Highway Patrol is moruning the loss of a 26-year-old trooper based in Southeast Florida who died in a crash Friday morning.
Zacahry Fink was killed chasing a suspect, according to FHP. St. Lucie County Deputies saw a vehicle driving at an excessive speed on I-95 and fled a traffic stop.
Fink was in the area, saw the vehicle make a U-Turn and begin driving in the wrong direction, FHP said. Trooper Fink then moved to make a U-Turn and his vehicle was struck by a semi-truck near mile marker 120 southbound. Fink and the driver of the semi-truck suffered fatal injuries.
The suspect vehicle fled off the interstate, ultimately crashing and abandoning the vehicle on Commerce Center Drive near Brandywine Lane.
"Today is a sad and difficult day for the profession of law enforcement," Florida Highway Patrol Executive Director Dave Kerner said in a press release. "FHP has a proud history, and Trooper Fink is a hero who died while helping people, something he was passionate about since the age of six. This dedication and love for helping others defines FHP and the FHP family honors his service and pray for everyone who lost a loved one today."