July 18 (UPI) -- A police officer has been taken off duty as investigators continue to figure out why he ran over a couple on New York's Long Island with his patrol vehicle, officials said Tuesday.
David Walpole, a 32-year veteran of the Long Beach, N.Y., police department, said he did not notice the couple when he drove his Chevrolet pickup truck across the beach on Sunday evening.
The pair were injured -- one receiving broken ribs.
Officials said the accident was causd by diminished visibility, but not of excessive speed. Witnesses said police were trying to get people out of the water at the time the couple were hit.
Walpole will be relieved of beach duty until the investigation concludes.
A police vehicle typically patrols the beach after lifeguards go off-duty at 6 p.m.
Long Beach Police Commissioner Michael Tangney said the department is reviewing its procedures regarding beach patrols. He told the New York Daily News, "We are going to institute additional training to ensure that, to do our best that this never happens again."
