A California Highway Patrol officer was injured by an alleged
drunk driver Saturday evening while parked and sitting behind the
wheel in the center divide of U.S. 101.
Morgan Hill – A California Highway Patrol officer was injured by an alleged drunk driver Saturday evening while parked and sitting behind the wheel in the center divide of U.S. 101.
Hector Ochoa, 19, was arrested and booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of felony driving under the influence causing injury to others after he reportedly rear-ended the CHP officer’s vehicle, which then plowed into another car. Both the CHP vehicle and the other damaged car were pulled over assisting the driver of another vehicle with a flat tire.
Ochoa was first treated and released for a complaint of pain at San Jose Regional Medical Center before he was booked into jail.
The officer, an eight-year veteran, was also treated at San Jose Regional Medical Center. He had cuts on his face and a minor closed head injury with a a brief loss of consciousness and concussion. His name is not being released at this time.
The accident happened at approximately 6:40pm. A Chevy Tahoe was pulled to the center divide of northbound U.S. 101 north of Burnett Avenue with a flat tire, and a Chevy Suburban was stopped behind it. The driver of the Suburban and his passenger were out of the vehicle assisting the Tahoe driver, according to the CHP report.
The CHP officer was in his patrol car, parked behind the Suburban with the patrol car’s overhead emergency lights and turn signal on.
Ochoa, driving a Ford Taurus, glanced off the center divider wall and smashed into the rear of the patrol car at freeway speed, according to the report.
The patrol car was rammed into the rear of the Suburban, and the patrol car’s air bags inflated. It was pushed into the lanes of traffic by the impact, facing east. Ochoa’s car and the Suburban remained in the center divide.
The patrol car and the Taurus were totaled, according to the report.
The three people outside the Tahoe and the Suburban were not injured.
Morgan Hill police officers arrived on the scene shortly after a second CHP officer and assisted with the investigation and traffic control. Traffic was backed up for a short time while the investigation was underway and emergency vehicles were on scene.
