Dozens injured, including Galveston sheriff’s deputy, during ‘Jeep Weekend’ on Bolivar Peninsula

Nearly 70 people, including a Galveston County sheriff’s deputy were injured over the weekend at the “Go Topless Jeep Weekend” on Bolivar Peninsula. The “largely unsponsored event,” which reportedly drew tens of thousands of people to Crystal Beach on Bolivar Peninsula over the weekend, strained Galveston County emergency services, according to District Manager Doug Saunders. Sixty-nine people were injured, eight of whom had to be airlifted to local hospitals, Saunders said. Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said that some of those eight were airlifted not because of the severity of the injuries, but because of congestion on Bolivar Peninsula roadways. A Galveston County sheriff’s deputy was flown to a hospital after he was hit by a vehicle about 1:30 a.m. while responding to an accident at Holiday Beach and Highway 87, Trochesset said.

The deputy was in surgery Sunday for two broken legs, and also suffered a broken arm and head injuries, Trochesset said. The driver, 22-year-old Darius Gilbert, was charged with aggravated assault of a peace officer and held on $100,000 bond. The sheriff’s office received over 500 calls for service over the weekend, and Trochesset said that the majority of the problems came from partiers who were not affiliated with a Jeep club. About 170 people had been arrested as of Sunday afternoon, Trochesset said. “The sad part is they come down and leave their brains at whatever home they have, and act in such a way that if someone did this where they'd live, they'd be the first ones to gripe about it. They have no respect for themselves or anyone else,” Trochesset said. The Bolivar Peninsula website describes Jeep Weekend as “A GIANT Jeep Lovers Weekend (where) thousands of Jeep Lovers head to Bolivar Peninsula and Crystal Beach Texas to meet-up with fellow jeepers for a relaxed weekend on the beachfront.”