An El Cajon police officer was injured Tuesday after his motorcycle and a vehicle collided, officials confirmed.
The crash happened around 11:15 a.m. on East Main Street near Safari Drive.
According to Officer Matt Conlon of the El Cajon Police Department, a motorcycle officer was conducting routine traffic enforcement in the area when a vehicle allegedly pulled out in front of him.
The officer collided with the driver side of the vehicle.
Conlon said the El Cajon police officer sustained non-life threatening injuries in the crash, including facial lacerations and a possible broken nose. He was taken to a local hospital, but is expected to make a full recovery.
The driver of the vehicle, John Julian, was not injured.
Julian spoke to NBC 7 San Diego at the scene of the accident and described the moment when he saw the officer’s motorcycle heading toward his car.
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“I noticed there was a motorcycle policeman headed straight toward me in this inside lane here, and he just kept coming. He just came barreling down. I mean, he hit me full-force,” said Julian.
According to Julian, he was unable to move his vehicle in time to avoid the crash.
“I guess he thought I was in the process moving, but I couldn’t,” he explained.
Once he realized the collision was imminent, Julian said he moved himself toward the center of his vehicle, away from the window, to avoid getting hurt.
He then exited the car and began helping the injured police officer.
“I got a towel from my car for his nose. It looked broken; it was cut on the side and bleeding,” Julian said. “I’m just glad he didn’t get hurt really bad.”
Conlon said the cause of the collision remains under investigation, but it appears to be a “right-of-way issue.” It’s unclear, at this point, who was at fault.
By 2 p.m., investigators were clearing the scene. Julian was not cited, and police said he likely will not be cited in connection with the accident.
This is the second officer-involved crash in as many days involving both a vehicle and motorcycle.
On Monday night, a motorcyclist was killed after getting into an accident with a San Diego police car at the intersection of Balboa Avenue and Mt. Everest Boulevard in Clairemont. The motorcyclist was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital, but was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
