Roll of Honor
Incident
Auxiliary Captain Bender was struck by a vehicle and killed as he manned a roadblock on the Julia Tuttle Causeway.
Captain Bender and several officers were working the roadblock to restrict causeway traffic because of dangerous driving conditions in Miami Beach due to Hurricane Betsy. At approximately 2200 hours, Captain Bender was checking the identification of a vehicle he stopped when a yellow taxicab approached the roadblock. Realizing that the vehicle was not going to stop, Captain Bender and another officer ran for the median in the road, but the vehicle struck the captain. He sustained a fractured skull and was transported to a hospital where he died at 0002 hours.
A homicide investigation showed that the driver had a driving record that included three accidents, one suspension, and over seven traffic infractions. However, this incident was ruled "accidental".
The accident was later investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who was looking into the possibility that the taxi-driver ran the roadblock intentionally because his three passengers paid him to do so. The three passengers were involved in a plot to kill a man in the federal witness protection program. All three passengers had fled the scene of the accident, leaving the taxi-driver alone.
Captain Bender was a WWII veteran and had served with the Florida Highway Patrol for six years.
Captain Bender and several officers were working the roadblock to restrict causeway traffic because of dangerous driving conditions in Miami Beach due to Hurricane Betsy. At approximately 2200 hours, Captain Bender was checking the identification of a vehicle he stopped when a yellow taxicab approached the roadblock. Realizing that the vehicle was not going to stop, Captain Bender and another officer ran for the median in the road, but the vehicle struck the captain. He sustained a fractured skull and was transported to a hospital where he died at 0002 hours.
A homicide investigation showed that the driver had a driving record that included three accidents, one suspension, and over seven traffic infractions. However, this incident was ruled "accidental".
The accident was later investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who was looking into the possibility that the taxi-driver ran the roadblock intentionally because his three passengers paid him to do so. The three passengers were involved in a plot to kill a man in the federal witness protection program. All three passengers had fled the scene of the accident, leaving the taxi-driver alone.
Captain Bender was a WWII veteran and had served with the Florida Highway Patrol for six years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, three brothers, and a sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-A7BFDF27- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Auxiliary Captain Bender gave the Florida Highway Patrol 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Florida. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Owen Karl Bender served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Auxiliary Captain Owen Karl Bender 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 Florida Highway Patrol, 25 of 54 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 46.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Owen Karl Bender's cause is highlighted.
How Owen Karl Bender Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Owen Karl Bender is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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