OFFICER HIT BY SUSPECTED DUI REMAINS IN INTENSIVE CARE

A City of Orange Police Officer remains in the Intensive Care Unit of a local hospital after extensive surgery to repair the injuries he suffered when he was struck by a woman suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. The Officer sustained broken bones and lacerations to his legs and pelvis, among other injuries. Other Officers provided immediate first aid to their downed colleague as Paramedics arrived to take over care and quickly transport him to the Trauma Center at O.C. Global Hospital in Santa Ana.

The incident occurred around 3 a.m. Saturday in the 500 block of north Cambridge Street near Walnut Avenue. The California Highway Patrol responded to the scene quickly and is handling the investigation into the crash. Preliminary reports indicate the Officer was on a call and was out of his patrol car when he was struck by the woman who may have been going 40 miles per hour or faster when she hit the Officer. Her car also hit the patrol car and catapulted it forward into three other vehicles.

The driver was transported to UCI Medical Center for minor injuries and was arrested at the hospital for Felony DUI by the C.H.P.

Friends, family, and colleagues of the Officer, a former U.S. Marine who served two tours in Afghanistan, and has a wife and two small children, have set up a GoFundMe page to assist the family in what is expected to be a long recovery process.

The C.H.P. and Orange Police are expected to provide more details of the incident, and the Officers condition, later today.

To help, donate at GoFundMe