Incident
Deputy Sheriff Andy Lahera succumbed to injuries he received on May 23, 2023, when he was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic at the intersection of Saunders Way and South Lecanto Highway in Lecanto, Florida.
Around 9:05 p.m., Deputy Lahera was directing traffic after the graduation ceremony at Lecanto High School. Despite wearing a reflective vest, holding a flashlight, and having emergency lights activated on his patrol car, he was hit by a vehicle traveling southbound on South Lecanto Highway.
Deputy Lahera was airlifted to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury and internal injuries. He was later moved to a rehabilitation facility, where he passed away on September 11, 2025.
Deputy Lahera had served with the Citrus County Sheriff's Office for 14 years and was the Lecanto Middle School Resource Officer.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-F791D66F- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Lahera gave the Citrus County Sheriff's Office 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Inverness community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Lahera.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Andres Julian "Andy" Lahera is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In FL, 313 of 1,008 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 0.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Citrus County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Andres Julian "Andy" Lahera's cause is highlighted.
How Andres Julian "Andy" Lahera Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Andres Julian "Andy" Lahera is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Citrus County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.


