CHP officer badly hurt in Modesto collision. Three others suffer minor injuries
A California Highway Patrol officer suffered major injuries Tuesday night in a three-vehicle collision at Sixth and H streets in downtown Modesto. Three others in the crash suffered minor injuries, the CHP said in a news release.
The officer, a nine-year veteran of the department, was pinned inside her patrol vehicle but was able to report the collision herself. Her injuries were not life-threatening and she is expected to make a full recovery, CHP Modesto area office spokesman Officer Thomas Olsen said Wednesday morning.
The officer, whose name has not yet been released, was driving west on H Street, approaching Sixth, about 8:55 p.m. Two other vehicles, a 2015 Honda SUV driven by Maria Nevarez, of Modesto, and a 2018 Hyundai sedan driven by Natalie Coria, of Modesto, both were northbound on Sixth, approaching H.
All three vehicles entered the intersection. The fronts of both the Honda and the Hyundai struck the driver’s side of the patrol vehicle.
The CHP investigation has not determined whether the northbound drivers or the westbound officer had the green light, Olsen said. But a witness to the collision, Luis A. Magana, told The Bee the officer ran a red light.
The CHP unit did not have emergency lights or siren on, and the officer “just rolled through the red light as if nobody was coming,” said Magana, who provided a statement to the investigating officer.
Nevarez, 57, Coria, 18, and an 18-year-old passenger in Coria’s car, Maci Smothers, of Modesto, all suffered minor injuries, according to the CHP. The drivers were taken to Memorial Medical Center for treatment, while Smothers required only care at the scene.
The CHP officer, age 36, was taken to Doctors Medical Center. All involved were wearing their seat belts, the CHP said.
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 7:27 AM.
