A Florida motorist who was born without a right hand ultimately prevailed after a sheriff’s deputy claimed she was holding a cellphone in that nonexistent hand during a distracted-driving enforcement effort and cited her anyway.
The unusual encounter took place on Feb. 11 in Lake Worth Beach, where deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office were conducting a traffic operation focused on distracted driving violations.
Body-camera video shows the deputy informing the driver that he believed he had seen her traveling while using a phone.
According to the footage, the deputy told her officers were targeting distracted drivers and that he observed her holding a phone in her right hand as she passed.
The flaw in that claim became apparent almost immediately. The driver raised her right arm and showed the deputy that she did not have a right hand and was missing much of her forearm.
Laughing at the accusation, she responded that the claim was obviously impossible. She then suggested the interaction could simply end there.
The deputy, however, was not prepared to let the matter go. Rather than ending the stop, he insisted he had seen her manipulating a phone with a raised hand.
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The driver quickly pointed out that he had specifically identified her right hand.
The deputy then said he believed he had seen her right hand, prompting her to again display her arm and reject his account.
She told him he could not have seen her using her right hand because she did not have one. As the conversation continued, the situation became even stranger.
The deputy shifted away from the original claim and began asking whether she had been holding a phone with either hand. She denied having a phone in her hand at all.
The exchange then produced a moment that later spread widely online.
The deputy asked her to swear before God that she had not been holding a phone. In response, she again lifted her right arm and repeated the phrase.
Still unconvinced, the deputy rephrased the question. He then asked her to use her other hand to swear she had not been holding a phone. This time she raised her left hand and gave the same answer.
Despite her repeated denials and the obvious issue with his original observation, the deputy issued a citation alleging unlawful handheld use of a wireless device while driving.
The two continued debating the matter before the deputy acknowledged that he had initially claimed to see the phone in her right hand.
He advised her that she could challenge the ticket before a judge.
The driver later uploaded video of the encounter to TikTok, where it gained significant attention after local media outlets highlighted the story. The citation carried a fine of $116.
Florida first enacted its Wireless Communications While Driving Law in 2013 and expanded enforcement authority in 2019 by making texting while driving a primary offense.
As a result, officers may stop a vehicle solely for suspected violations of that law.
Current statutes prohibit drivers from manually entering letters, numbers or symbols into a wireless device for non-voice communications while operating a vehicle.
Activities such as texting, emailing and instant messaging fall under those restrictions.
The driver requested a hearing and intended to contest the citation. Ultimately, she never had to appear.
Although a court hearing had been set for May 26, the case was dismissed before that date arrived.
Court filings indicated the citation was thrown out after the issuing deputy requested that it be withdrawn.
Records from Palm Beach County showed the sheriff’s office sought dismissal because of insufficient evidence.
In a public statement, the agency said the deputy initiated the stop based on what he believed he observed at the time but later determined dismissal was appropriate after further review of the applicable statutes and surrounding circumstances.
The sheriff’s office also emphasized that drivers have avenues to challenge citations they believe were issued in error.
The agency noted that officers must make decisions based on real-time observations and that courts exist to evaluate disputed facts and evidence.
“As with any enforcement action, motorists have the right to contest citations through the judicial process, where all facts and evidence can be fully evaluated,” the statement said.
Elsewhere, a very different transportation-related incident unfolded in Texas when authorities said a Cybertruck owner deliberately drove into Grapevine Lake to test Tesla’s “Wade Mode” capability.
The experiment ended with the vehicle stranded in the water and the driver facing multiple citations.
Police identified the driver as 70-year-old Jimmy Jack McDaniel. According to Grapevine police, officers responded to reports that a Tesla Cybertruck had entered the water near Katie’s Woods Park Boat Ramp.
Photographs released by authorities showed the vehicle partially submerged near shore.
Video later circulated showing the truck moving through the lake before recovery crews were called in.
McDaniel told local media that he misjudged the depth and allowed water to enter through the vehicle’s charging-port area.
He said he had been giving a ride to a visiting German father and son who were staying with a neighbor. All three occupants exited the vehicle through a window.
McDaniel also said he had previously driven the Cybertruck into both lake water and ocean water without incident.
Authorities said he was cited for operating a vehicle in a restricted area of the park.
Additional violations included lacking proper boat registration and failing to carry required safety gear such as life jackets and a fire extinguisher.
Police stated that officers responded after receiving reports of a Cybertruck in the water near the shoreline at Katie’s Woods Park Boat Ramp.
According to investigators, the driver admitted he intentionally entered the lake to test the vehicle’s Wade Mode feature before it became disabled and began taking on water.
Authorities said the occupants left the vehicle before members of the Grapevine Fire Department’s water rescue team assisted with recovery efforts.
Police reported that McDaniel was arrested on the park-related charge and cited for multiple water-safety violations.
The department also cautioned other drivers against attempting similar stunts.
“We want to remind drivers that although a vehicle may be physically capable of entering shallow freshwater areas, doing so can create legal and safety concerns under [Texas]law,” the statement said.
