Collier County deputy injured in crash during pursuit in Immokalee

IMMOKALEE, Fla. – A Collier County deputy was hurt after her patrol car rolled over, according to Immokalee fire crews.

The crash happened around 7 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Lee Street and New Market Road. Florida Highway Patrol said a woman driving a black Nissan Altima ran a stop sign hitting the cruiser.

Video taken by a WINK News crew showed the deputy’s car flipped upside down on the grass. The back window of the car was shattered.

A woman living near the scene said she heard a loud noise and ran outside to see the car overturned.

“It just sounded like a big boom,” said Alicia Stanley. “She [the deputy] was pinned in the car until the other cops came and they were able to take her out.”

The deputy, 39-year-old Maria Raley, was flown to Lee Memorial Hospital. She is now in good condition.

Stanley’s husband said the deputy’s laptop flew about 20 feet from the car, landing near a tree. She said despite how bad the crash looked, the deputy was walking and talking afterward.

“That was just like shock, unbelievable that she walked out of there I mean fine,” she said.

The driver of the other car, 32-year-old Vanessa Wagenman, was taken to Naples Community Hospital with minor injuries. According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office website, she has been arrested three other times in the last 10 years for other driving offenses.

It is unknown if Wagenman will face any charges in this morning’s crash.