A Florida nurse who allegedly ran over three on-duty police officers, killing them all, may have suffered from 'brain fog' brought on by her calorie-dense post-shift McDonald's meal, according to authorities. Corrinne Blue, 31, of Palm Beach, was driving her Jeep Grand Cherokee home around 9:15 a.m. on State Route 80 after her work shift when she struck three officers while weaving in and out of traffic on November 21, 2024. Deputy Sheriffs Ralph 'Butch' Waller Jr., Luis Paez Jr., and Ignacio 'Dan' Diaz were all killed. Blue was arrested on Friday, nearly a year and a half later, and is currently held in the Palm Beach County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
The nurse stopped at a Belle Glade McDonald's to buy breakfast on her way home roughly 25 minutes before the crash, she told investigators. After that, she plugged her home address into her GPS and began taking an unknown route back to her residence, according to the probable cause document viewed by the Daily Mail. Blue told investigators she had left her 12-hour shift at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston around 8 a.m. and stopped by the popular fast food chain on her way home. Blue also insisted she was 'not tired or rushed on her way home,' the probable cause document stated.
Postprandial Fatigue and Brain Fog
Roughly 25 minutes later, Blue's car swerved off the road and struck the three officers. Investigators estimated Blue was driving up to 85 mph on SR 80, which has a speed limit of 55 mph. A human factor expert told investigators that her calorie-dense, high-fat meal could have caused her to be in a state of 'postprandial fatigue,' which led to brain fog. The officers were on the side of the road, as Diaz had been conducting a traffic stop in the area when his motorcycle stalled, and he requested assistance, the probable cause document said. Waller and Paez were on duty in the same area and came to assist him. They were both also on motorcycles.
Earlier up the road, Blue had passed a tow truck on SR 80 going between 74 and 86 mph in a 55 mph zone, video from the tow truck showed, court documents said. Roughly a mile and a half down the road, Blue struck the three officers and plowed her vehicle into a guardrail. The tow truck driver stopped after coming upon the crash scene, where he spoke with Blue, later telling investigators that the nurse appeared to be 'extremely tired.' Numerous other drivers, including a man operating a dump truck, confirmed that Blue had been zigzagging in and out of traffic and tailgating other vehicles.
Witness Accounts and Toxicology
Moments later, the dump truck driver noticed Blue's SUV make an 'abrupt and sharp swerve to the right, drive off the roadway, and crash into the guardrail,' the probable cause document said. Blue told another witness that she had never driven this route home before and had put it into her GPS system. The same witness also noted that the nurse 'appeared to be tired,' the probable cause document said. The three deputies were taken to the hospital, where Waller and Paez were later pronounced dead. Diaz died four days later at the hospital. Their autopsies ruled the officers' deaths due to the crash.
A toxicology report of Blue's blood taken at the scene showed the medical professional was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the tragedy. Blue told investigators she estimated she was driving around 55 mph on SR 80 when she glanced down at her GPS to see what her estimated arrival time would be. After swerving in and out of traffic, she said she never noticed the three deputies until after her vehicle came to a rest following the crash, court documents read.
Charges and Court Proceedings
Blue also told investigators she had been working in the emergency room during her shift, rather than her usual telemetry unit assignment. It was her first time working in the ER, she said. Cell phone data showed that Blue had been awake for roughly 18 hours before the crash. A year and a half after the crash, Blue was arrested on three counts of vehicular homicide. 'Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten,' the sheriff's office said in a statement after the announcement of Blue being charged. 'While no legal outcome can ever replace the lives lost or ease the pain felt by their families, loved ones, and our agency, we remain committed to seeing this case through the justice system. This tragedy serves as a reminder of the very real and deadly consequences of distracted driving.' Blue is expected back in court on June 25.
