A recent Seattle motorcycle accident proved that motorcycle crashes can happen to anyone—even the police.
A 57-year-old Seattle police officer was seriously injured when a 2011 Subaru Forester crashed into his motorcycle. The officer, a 25-year veteran of the force, was riding west on South Lander Street at Third Avenue around 9 am. The Subaru made a U-turn right in front of him, and ended up knocking the motorcycle over.
One man who witnessed the crash acted quickly and used the officer's radio to call for help. In their online blog, the Seattle police said, "His quick thinking and calm demeanor alerted officers to the situation and sped up emergency response."
Because of the severity of his injuries, the police officer was taken to the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center. He is badly hurt, but he is expected to recover.
A drug recognition expert evaluated the driver of the Subaru, but found no signs of impairment.
This incident had a better ending than another police motorcycle accident that happened earlier in 2013. State Patrol motorcycle Trooper Sean O'Connell was in a fatal motorcycle wreck when the bike he was on struck a truck on the highway. O'Connell was thrown from his motorcycle and fell under the truck. The driver of the truck did not see O'Connell as he passed the box truck on the right shoulder outside of the fog line.
We offer our sincere sympathies to the families involved in these motorcycle accidents and wish them all the best.
