CHP officer struck by vehicle while clearing a crash in South Bay
The California Highway Patrol said an officer was struck as he cleared an accident along State Route 17 in Santa Clara County on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2020. The collision sent him and another person to the hospital.
LOS GATOS, Calif. - A California Highway Patrol officer and another person were sent to the hospital on Tuesday, after the officer was struck while clearing a crash on State Route 17 in Santa Clara County, the CHP said.
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It happened shortly after 12:30 p.m. in the northbound direction of Highway 17 near the Redwood Estates exit.
The CHP told KTVU that the officer was walking back to his patrol vehicle when a driver of an SUV traveling in the northbound direction lost control and spun out onto the right shoulder.
The officer was outside his vehicle when he was struck.
Emergency crews took him and the driver of the SUV to the hospital with what investigators described as non-life threatening injuries.
The CHP shared a photo of the damaged patrol vehicle after the crash.
The accident shut down northbound Highway 17 at Summit Road. Motorists were advised to use alternate routes through the area.
The CHP said it was still investigating what caused the driver of the SUV to lose control.
The weather could have been a factor, as the CHP said the roadway was wet at the time of the collision.