LAURENS COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia State Patrol report said Laurens County Deputy Brendan Pope's cruiser struck Rebecca Cox's car on Dec. 6.
Pope's car was traveling west on Rockledge Road, nearing Highway 29.
The State Patrol said the deputy caused the accident by running a stop sign.
Laurens County Sheriff Larry Dean said it was a complete accident by a new deputy.
"Basically the deputy was out trying to learn the county. He was a new deputy. I think the speed was actually 30-something miles per hour," Dean said.
This week, Cox's husband Dennis Harper told us she had a shattered kneecap and femur, along with a broken and dislocated foot.
He said she won't be able to walk for about eight months and is recovering in a Savannah hospital.
Dean said they've reached out to Cox and are praying for her. He said Pope was released from the hospital the day after the accident.
"The deputy that was in this last accident suffered minor injuries. Matter of fact, after he wrecked he was out responding to the person that was in the car," Dean said.
According to the Georgia State Patrol report, Cox was not wearing a seatbelt.
The accident happened around 3:30 p.m.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Pope missed the stop sign because he was blinded by the sun, but the state patrol report says sunlight or glare was not a problem there.
Dean said they've had nine cruiser accidents this year, which he said is not an unusual number for how many hours the deputies log each day.
Five of the accidents were not the deputies' fault.
He said the Dec. 6 wreck was the most serious accident of the year, and the first one that happened in December.