A local California police officer was critically injured while on duty last Thursday afternoon. The officer was riding his motorcycle down Redondo Beach Boulevard at 7:10 a.m. when the driver of a silver Chevrolet Astrovan entered the intersection in front of him. The officer’s motorcycle collided with the right passenger side of the vehicle, shattering glass and throwing him 30 feet into the air.
The officer was taken to County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for serious injuries sustained in the motorcycle accident. He was conscious and breathing when he arrived in the emergency room, but his condition was immediately listed as critical. Police Sergeant Jeremiah Hart stated that “the impact was so strong, the doctors are on alert for any internal injuries. It’s still very, very critical.”
The California Highway Patrol arrived on the scene shortly after the accident and took charge of the investigation. Investigators refused to release the officer’s name, but Hart confirmed that according to witness accounts he had collected, the motorcycle officer entered the intersection with a green light.
The driver of the Astrovan had no apparent injuries immediately after the accident but later visited a doctor complaining of back pain and discomfort. The driver’s husband was not in the van at the time of the accident but claimed that the officer had caused the accident. He said that his wife told him she had entered the intersection just before the light turned yellow. She claimed that the officer was traveling at a high speed and hit the van after he swerved to miss a number of oncoming vehicles. No skid marks were visible in the intersection to confirm the story.
Source: Contra Costa Times “Torrance motorcycle officer critical” Larry Altman 9/30/10
