Deputy John Robert Kotfila, Jr., 30, and Erik Thomas McBeth, 31, killed in wrong-way crash on Selmon Expressway in Hillsborough County, Florida

Authorities said 30-year-old Deputy John Robert Kotfila, Jr. was on his way from the hospital after midnight Saturday where he had been working on a traffic crash investigation. Authorities said a driver was heading the wrong way on the Selmon Expressway and the deputy was unable to avoid the crash and the vehicles struck head-on.

The agency said Kotfila was a traffic accident investigator and a founding member of the agency's SafetyNet Team, which assisted in finding adults and children with special needs who had wandered from home.  

He came from a long legacy of law enforcement. His brother is a Falmouth police officer, his father is a sergeant with the Massachusetts State Patrol and other family members had also served.

Kotfila is the son of Massachusetts State Police Sgt. John R. Kotfila Sr. and the brother of a police officer in Falmouth.

She is sure HCSO Deputy John Robert Kotfila Jr. made the ultimate sacrifice and intentionally crashed into the vehicle, taking the hit and saving her life.

“This man put himself in front of us as a human shield. Absolutely. He definitely saw what was going on. When I take a step back and look at the way everything occurred, he absolutely was a human shield for us,” said Geren.

Hillsborough County sheriff's Deputy John Kotfila was driving behind Geren about 2:45 a.m. Saturday when he suddenly accelerated and pulled in front of her, putting himself in the path of a sport utility vehicle barreling down the expressway toward the two cars.

"I feel like he was trying to be a human shield," Geren, 42, said Monday outside the Sheriff's Fallen Heroes Memorial.

His funeral will be held at St. Timothy's Catholic Church located at 17512 Lakeshore Road in Lutz on Friday.

Open visitation will be held from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm. The service will begin at 1:00 pm.

Anyone wishing to donate to the family of Deputy John R. Kotfila, Jr. may do so via the Lynn Sowers Memorial Foundation.  Please notate "Deputy Kotfila" with your donation.

A blood test on the wrong-way driver who collided with and killed a Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputy last weekend on the Selmon Expressway showed a blood-alcohol level of .27, more than three times the level at which a driver is considered legally impaired. 

The Falmouth service starts at 11 a.m. Some Hillsborough County Deputies attended the wake Tuesday and will be present for the funeral as well.

Anyone wishing to donate to the family of Deputy John R. Kotfila, Jr. may do so via the Lynn Sowers Memorial Foundation.  Please notate “Deputy Kotfila” with your donation.

Alongside the Kotfilas, representatives of Mothers Against Drunk Driving urged the Legislature to require first-time DUI offenders to have an ignition interlock device installed in their cars for six months.

he sister of a Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputy who lost his life in the line of duty followed in his footsteps on Wednesday. Deputy John Kotfila Jr.’s younger sister became a Hillsborough County deputy herself.