A San Diego Police Department motorcycle officer is being treated for serious injuries after he was hit by an SUV in Pacific Beach Thursday afternoon, the department confirmed.
The accident was reported at around 3 p.m. at the intersection of Garnet Avenue and Kendall Street. The officer was riding his duty motorcycle along Garnet Avenue and the collision sent him airborne, according to SDPD Lt. Adam Sharki.
The officer was hospitalized with serious injuries, but is considered stable, Lt. Sharki said. An off-duty Coronado Police Department (CPD) officer and several witnesses rushed to help the officer, pulling the motorcycle off of him and giving him aid until paramedics arrived.
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SkyRanger 7 flew over the scene of the crash and saw an SDPD motorcycle toppled over on the sidewalk in front of an auto repair shop. A helmet, presumably the officer's, was left on the sidewalk nearby. It had a large crack down its crown.
Responding officers had the intersection taped off, and east and westbound traffic on Garnet Avenue was blocked. SDPD confirmed an early-model Ford Bronco parked in the center lane, inside the caution tape, was involved in the collision.
Sharki said there are several cooperating witnesses as well as security footage from nearby homes or businesses. Witnesses told NBC 7 the officer had his emergency lights on, and possibly his siren, before he was hit. They say he was headed eastbound on Garnet Avenue when the driver of the Bronco turned onto Garnet in front of the officer. The Bronco appeared to have damage to its front passenger-side fender.
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Brent Peeddecord, who manages the auto repair shop at the corner of the intersection, witnesses the collision.
"I saw the bike fly up, I saw the officer come up and over the bars, I saw the bike slide onto the sidewalk as well as the officer," Peddecord said. "Inside I do [feel good about helping], but at the same time I'm worried about the officer and I want to know he's doing OK."
Peddecord didn't hear the officer say anything specific about his injuries, but said he seemed to motion toward his legs as if he was having trouble moving them.
An off-duty Coronado officer who witnessed the crash was able to use the injured officer's radio to call for help.
"She knew exactly what to do," Peddecord said.
“We are grateful our officer was in the right place at the right time to assist the injured officer during this horrible collision," a statement from CPD said.
The driver stayed at the scene and is not accused of any crimes at this point, Sharki said.
This story will be updated as new information becomes available.
