Gary Vickers, Pinellas County Emergency Management Director, sustained multiple fractures in a car accident Tuesday night. The accident happened on Countryside Boulevard, just south of State Road 580, at 10:25 p.m. Vickers was alone in a personal car when he veered off the road and ran into a tree. Vickers has a pre-existing medical condition which investigators believe led to the crash. Sunstar ambulance personnel transported Vickers to Bayfront Medical Center. Vickers is expected to fully recover but it is not yet know how long that might take.
Vickers, 53, is a familiar face to residents of Pinellas County, who rely on his weather updates and advice in the face of hurricanes that threaten the area. He works year-round to make sure residents are prepared for disasters. First hired in 1986, Vickers has been the director of Emergency Management for five years.
Sally Bishop, the Assistant Director of Emergency Management, will supervise the department while Vickers recovers.