End of Watch: Saturday, August 8, 2026
Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia
Deputy Sheriff Betty Uriegas succumbed to injuries she received in a single-vehicle crash on August 17, 1994, around 2:15 a.m.
While on patrol on Georgia Highway 13 during a rainstorm from Tropical Storm Beryl, Deputy Uriegas observed a group of people on private property. After turning her patrol vehicle around to investigate, she heard gunfire and hydroplaned on the wet road, crashing into a tree. She was stranded in her vehicle until another officer came to her aid. The group had dissipated by the time responding officers arrived.
Deputy Uriegas was transported to the hospital with a broken neck and remained a C4 quadriplegic. On August 8, 2026, she suffered pulmonary failure related to her injuries.
Tropical Storm Beryl caused significant damage to Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, along the East Coast, and throughout the Northeast, resulting in over $74 million in damages.
Deputy Uriegas had served with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office for nine years. In 1996, she carried the Olympic Torch at the Atlanta Paralympic Games. Survivors include her husband, daughter, son, her mother, two sisters, nieces, nephews, and two grandchildren.