Betty Jean Uriegas (Credit: Memorial Park Funeral Homes)
HALL COUNTY, Ga. - Hall County Sheriff's Office members are honoring former patrol deputy Betty Jean Uriegas, who died over the weekend at age 66, nearly 32 years after surviving a line-of-duty crash that left her with quadriplegia.
What we know:
Uriegas began her career with the agency on Oct. 1, 1985, working as a jailer at the Hall County Detention Center and as a dispatcher. She eventually earned a role as a patrol deputy, which her family called her dream job, while also serving on the agency's dive team and honor guard.
On Aug. 17, 1994, her patrol car hit a tree during a duty accident, leaving her a C4 quadriplegic. The department retired her badge number, 434, and awarded her the Medal of Valor and the Purple Heart.
Two years after her accident, Uriegas carried the torch for the Atlanta Paralympic Games in 1996, according to her obituary.
Agency officials remembered her as a role model and an example of strength for women in law enforcement.
Her obituary noted that she faced her injury with extraordinary strength and refused to let it define her life or limit her impact on others.
What's next:
Funeral services will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at Memorial Park South Chapel. Interment will follow the service at Memorial Park South Cemetery, her obituary states.
What we don't know:
Officials have not released the specific cause of her death over the weekend.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Hall County Sheriff's Office, which published a memorial statement on social media, as well as an obituary posted by Memorial Park Funeral Homes.