CHP officer in serious condition after crash shuts down 405 Freeway
A California Highway Patrol officer was critically injured in an accident Wednesday that shut down the busy 405 Freeway for hours — causing a commuter nightmare in the already traffic-clogged Westside.
Authorities are investigating whether the accident was caused by a motorist who was driving along the right shoulder where the officer was conducting a traffic stop, pinning the officer against a Honda SUV that had been pulled over. Investigators are still trying to determine why the motorist, driving an Infiniti, was using the shoulder.
Four people were injured, including the driver of the Inifiniti, the CHP officer and two people in the Honda SUV.
“No matter what his reasoning for being on the shoulder, this is what can happen,” said CHP Sgt. Mark Garrett. “It’s a very dangerous place to be — even if it’s an emergency.”
The accident occurred at 8:35 a.m. at a highly vulnerable point in L.A.’s freeway system — on the northbound 405 Freeway just south of the 10 Freeway, in the Palms area. The crash caused gridlock on both freeways as well as numerous Westside surface streets. The southbound lanes were closed for about an hour, with traffic backing up well into the San Fernando Valley.
All northbound lanes were reopened just before 5 p.m.
Publicist Nathalie Nourian was travelled south on the 405 Freeway from her home in Pasadena to her job off near Olympic Boulevard in the Westside when she was caught in the traffic. Her typical hourlong commute nearly doubled.
“Inch by inch, I got to the Olympic exit,” she said. “It was an every-man-for-himself battle to get off this freeway.”
The officer was identified as Phillip Ortiz, 52, according to officials at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, who said he is being treated for serious injuries. TV helicopter footage showed signs of a violent collision, with Ortiz’s motorcycle twisted and battered and the SUV on its side.
“The family of Officer Ortiz wants the public to know how much they appreciate the community’s continued support in the way of prayers and well wishes at this most difficult time. At the request of the family, no other information is available,” the hospital said in a statement.
The driver of the Infiniti, who was taken to a hospital, gave investigators a statement, but officials would not provide details about what he said. The investigation is continuing, Garrett said.
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