Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Joe Bosshardt was fatally injured while assisting a tow truck driver who was attempting to remove a vehicle from a ditch on Route 66 near McLean. After flares had been placed at the scene to warn motorists of the hazard, a bus skidded out of control at 4:20 am and struck Deputy Bosshardt, causing him to be thrown into the ditch. The bus then struck the tow truck which tipped over before landing on Deputy Bosshardt. Deputy Bosshardt had to be dug out from under the tow truck before being transported to Saint Joseph's Hospital where he died a short time later of massive internal injuries. Deputy Bosshardt had served with the McLean County Sheriff's Office for three years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and son, who later became the chief of police of the Bloomington, Illinois, Police Department.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-B2073A0E- 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 Bosshardt gave the McLean County Sheriff's Office 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Bloomington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Bosshardt.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Joe B. Bosshardt 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 IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At McLean County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 20% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joe B. Bosshardt's cause is highlighted.
How Joe B. Bosshardt Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joe B. Bosshardt is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from McLean County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
