Bad week for LA area motors

[MotorinLA]

Five motor officers down in the greater LA area this week. Two CHP Officers, one LAPD Officer, one Hermosa Beach Officer and one Glendale Officer. Three of the five collisions occurred on the freeway. One fatality, one likely to become a fatality and three moderate injuries.

 

Please be careful out there, summer is here and people are coming out in droves to vacation, go to the beach and other pleasure activities. These drivers are not as predicatable and well versed in their routes as your standard issue commuter, so keep that head on a swivle and ride like everyone around you is trying to kill you.

[Bill_Walker]

That's terrible news.

 

I have to wonder, is there any connection to visiting drivers not expecting lane splitting?

[rob1100r]

With the amount of bonehead drivers out there on the road, ESPECIALLY in a high traffic area like LA, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. I don't ride a fraction of the miles those guys do in a year, and I find myself in a pickle AT LEAST once a year (in addition to my own pickling ).

[crmdgn]

That's bad news but do these LEO wear those shorty helmets, no protective jackets and thos johdpur(?)style pants? Here in FL I have always wondered about their safety gear and the fact they ride side by side.

 

This is not to disparage or make light of the accidents these folks went through, just an observation.

 

paul

[GordonB]

For the two CH officers I don't think any amount of gear would've saved them.

One was on the right shoulder doing a traffic stop and some idiot decided to use the right shoulder to pass all the slow traffic in lanes. He pinned the motor and officer between him and SUV that had been pulled over. Makes me sick!

[David13]

None of the accidents were the result of or involved lane splitting.

And one may have been intentional. But I think none were tourists/out of towners. Local yokels only.

So, it was a long week.

dc

[ESokoloff]

That's bad news but do these LEO wear those shorty helmets......

Starting to see full face (modular/flip up???) helmets.

LA Sheriff & City PD.

[Indy Dave]

That's very sad news and such a waste. How tragic - these guys are just out doing their job and supporting their families and get blindsided.

 

I have a friend in LA who rides and he gave it up a year ago because of the crazy traffic. After a year, he's decided to railer it out of town, then rides.

 

 

[swilson]

Very sad.

 

 

[upflying]

Circumstances here..

http://www.officer.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=2&id=52863

Fortunately the suspect Officer Coleman was chasing is now facing a murder charge.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-redlands-chp-murder-charge,0,4039562.story?track=rss

 

[blackyam]

Story in The Sun of San Bernadino and the Inland Empire:

http://www.sbsun.com/ci_15280504

[David13]

And for Hermosa Beach.

dc

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_15269560?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com

[upflying]

Open the "photo gallery" by photographer LaFonzo Carter from blackyam's link.

Some of the saddest photos I have ever seen.

[MotorinLA]

I have very little inside information on these five crashes. I do know some of the background on the two collisions involving the CHP officers, but I can only speculate on the causes of the other three. The CHP Officer Ortiz crash was most likely "non-preventable" by the officer, as he did everything right and was struck from behind by a driver accelerating up behind him on the shoulder of the freeway. I don't think there will be a finding that would show that he could have prevented the collision by taking some alternate action, short of not making the traffic stop in the first place. The other CHP crash will possibly have a "preventable" factor attached to it, based on the circumstances of the pursuit and the collision.

 

As for the Hermosa Beach collision, I've stopped enough people with their head up a certain orifice to know that some people simply react to a siren by slamming on their brakes full force. These drivers come to a complete stop, in whatever position in the roadway they were originally occupying, when the siren and lights are activated. This is the reason that motor schools teach heavy braking combined with abrupt swerving during the braking maneuver. Sometimes braking in itself just isn't going to save your bacon (pun intended).

 

Several months ago a Santa Monica PD Motor Officer crashed in a very similar manner to that of the Hermosa Beach officer. The SMPD officer suffered severe facial fractures and miscellaneous other complications. This contributed to the introduction of the modular helmets at that PD.

 

A common factor in many of these crashes is speed. Unfortunately it is impossible to catch up to a vehicle ahead of you, without traveling faster than that vehicle. Obviously this makes for an inherent danger for LEOs, which can’t be avoided without discontinuing the practice of conducting traffic enforcement stops.

 

Most people here don’t work as LEOs and don’t have to worry so much about that specific aspect of motorcycle riding, however, based on many discussions here on the board it is clear that many of us like to ride at a “brisk” pace. Hopefully, this information will inspire some of you to go out and practice your braking and accident avoidance skills even more than you’re already doing.

 

Be safe, enjoy your ride and keep the rubber side down.

 

[pbbeck]

One was on the right shoulder doing a traffic stop and some idiot decided to use the right shoulder to pass all the slow traffic in lanes. He pinned the motor and officer between him and SUV that had been pulled over. Makes me sick!

 

This sickens me, too. A classic example of typical selfish, clueless LA driving. I genuinely believe the bastard responsible for this ought to be executed. While waiting for the needle, he/she ought to be made to pay restitution to the family of the officer and to the city for the lost productivity that West LA/Santa Monica experienced that day due to the c. 12-hour closure of the 405.

[David13]

CHP Officer Ortiz died today.

dc

[Dennis Andress]

[JerryMather]

CHP Officer Ortiz died today.

dc

Saw that on the news last night and they also said that the guy that caused this hasn't been charged yet!

Very sad day for everybody.

 

[upflying]

Related thread, again I apologize for what was turned out to be the inevitable. CHP bloggers knew it was coming. Condolences.

Lack of charges could be because the other driver is still in the hospital.

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=608002&page=1

[longjohn]

RIP my brother.

 

I wonder how many miles the usual CHiP motor officer puts on in a year?

 

Also, is there a database concerning the causes of m/c accidents on freeways in the greater LA area?

[upflying]

Back before I retired, I put on about 100 mi per day. Almost all on surface streets in a suburban city..this includes about 35 mi round trip commuting to and from my home.

4 days a week, 52 weeks a year averages 20K miles. Realistically the total is more like 15k per year when you factor for vacation, inclement weather and training days.

Here is a link to some collision stats in Cali.

http://www.chp.ca.gov/switrs/