Deputy Sheriff Ryan Tvelia
Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office, Massachusetts
End of Watch: Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Biographical Info
Age: 42
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Motorcycle accident
Date of Incident: April 10, 2012
Agency Contact Information
Sheriff Michael Bellotti
Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office
200 West Street
PO Box 149
Dedham, MA 02027
Phone: (781) 329-3705
Deputy Sheriff Ryan Tvelia was killed in a motorcycle accident on I-95, in Walpole, while en route to Quincy to assist with the funeral detail for the mother of fellow deputy.
His department-issued motorcycle collided with a vehicle near Exit 11 at approximately 7:40 am. He was then struck by a second vehicle, suffering more severe injuries. He was transported to Norwood Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Deputy Tvelia had served with the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office for 11 years. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons.
A sheriff’s deputy seriously injured this morning when his department-issued motorcycle struck two cars on Interstate 95 died shortly after the crash, the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Department said.
Ryan Tvelia, 42, an 11-year veteran who served as a corrections officer and deputy, was pronounced dead at Norwood Hospital following the 7:40 a.m., accident in Walpole, said David Weber, spokesman for the sheriff’s department.
Tvelia leaves a wife and three children, a 19-year-old daughter and two sons, 18 and 15, Weber said.
“People here are quite grief-stricken,” Weber said. “We have grief counselors in here to help people, and we are doing everything we can to make sure people are taken care of. He was a highly respected and highly regarded officer here. This is a very close-knit department.”
Nearly a dozen state police cruisers were on scene at Exit 11 on the northbound side of I-95, where police said Tvelia suffered “extremely serious” injuries when he was involved in a crash with one vehicle, then was struck by another.
Tvelia, who served as motorcycle detail when needed, was en route to a Quincy funeral home, where he was slated to serve as honor guard at the funeral of another officer’s mother, Weber said.
His motorcycle was visible on the side of the road around 9 a.m. this morning, a blue police light attached to its rear still blinking. The State police crash reconstruction team and the Norfolk County State Police Detective Unit were also on scene.
