CHP Officer Narrowly Escapes Being Hit By Vehicle During I-80 Traffic Stop
BERKELEY (CBS SF) – A California Highway Patrol officer is unhurt after a driver hit his patrol car early Monday morning on Interstate Highway 80 in Berkeley.
The officer was doing HOV lane enforcement at about 5:50 a.m. and was just finishing up a traffic stop on westbound Highway 80 near Gilman Street when he looked up to see a white SUV heading toward his patrol car, according to CHP spokesman Officer Herman Baza.
The officer was standing outside of his car near the passenger side door so he was able to move out of the way before the vehicle was hit, Baza said.
Officer's Vehicle Hit While Conducting HOV (Carpool) Enforcement on WB I-80 near Gilman. It only takes a split second of inattention to destroy the lives of many people. Luckily, our officer was not injured! We ask people to slow down & move over in presence of emergency lights. pic.twitter.com/QTVylF6y9K
— CHP Oakland (@CHPoakland) February 25, 2019
"He didn't have any injuries, just startled a little bit," Baza said. "We're just lucky that car wasn't going at a higher rate of speed."
The cause of the crash is under investigation, but drugs or alcohol don't appear to be factors.
Both the CHP patrol car and the white Jeep Grand Cherokee that ran into it were badly damaged.
"We advise people that when they see the emergency lights on, or a tow truck, be mindful of us out there," Baza said. "(This is) another example of the dangers of working out there on our freeways."
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