Investigators say a sport utility vehicle driving west in the eastbound lanes crashed head-on into Deputy John Kotfila's patrol cruiser just west of Interstate 75 as the deputy headed back to his station after wrapping up a crash investigation. It was 2:45 Saturday morning. The SUV's driver, identified as Erik Thomas McBeth, 31, of Hudson, died at the scene, reports the Tampa Bay Times .
Firefighters pried the top off Kotfila's patrol car, then rushed him to Tampa General Hospital, where he also died. He was 30 years old from a family full of law enforcement officers.
