CERES -- An 81-year-old Ceres Police Department volunteer suffered minor injuries when his patrol car collided with an out-of-control big rig carrying gravel on the Service Road overpass of Highway 99 on Monday.
Sgt. Jose Berber said Glen Safrit of the Volunteers in Public Safety program was driving west toward the overpass about 11:30 a.m. Monday as the big rig was traveling east.
The truck driver, 47-year-old Maria Rosales, said she was distracted by a car traveling on El Camino Avenue and applied her brakes at the crown of the overpass, Berber said.
The truck jackknifed as it slid down the overpass and into Safrit's path. His patrol car was destroyed when it collided with the left front fender of the big rig.
Rosales was not injured. Safrit was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released.
Both lanes of traffic were closed at the Service Road overpass for several hours as the California Highway Patrol investigated, Berber said. The cause has not been determined.
Safrit is the oldest of 15 VIPS in Ceres. He has been with the Police Department for 10 years and this year was honored as volunteer of the year.
VIPS patrol neighborhoods and shopping centers, provide security for city-sponsored events and fingerprint children so there's a record in the event they go missing, among other duties, Berber said.
Bee staff writer Erin Tracy can be reached at etracy@modbee.com or (209) 578-2366.
RSS
E-Mail
Print
Order reprints
