Freeway Crash Hero Gets CHP’s Highest Honor

The average motorist is apt to look the other way at the sight of yet another freeway wreck, but last April 15 George Walker went to more extraordinary lengths on the Santa Monica Freeway.

The CHP on Thursday gave Walker its community service award, its highest civilian honor, for using his city pickup truck to stop an out-of-control car that sideswiped another auto and repeatedly banged up against the concrete center divider for about a quarter mile. The auto went out of control after its driver suffered a fatal heart attack.

“I really didn’t know what I was going to do,” said the 47-year-old cement finisher for the City of Los Angeles. “I just knew I had to do something.”

First in Several Years

It was the first such award given out in 2 1/2 years by the CHP’s Central Los Angeles office for the 67 miles of freeways it patrols in the area’s inner core.

Walker’s actions prevented serious injury to other motorists and a much larger accident that could have tied up traffic for hours, said Capt. Bill Brown, commander of the office.

It was shortly after 9 a.m. when Walker, who got on the westbound Santa Monica Freeway at Alameda Street on his way to an assignment, saw an auto driven by Martin Sorkin, 58, of Yorba Linda go out of control in the fast lane.

Sorkin’s car veered into the next lane and hit at least one auto, which did not stop to aid in the situation. The impact forced the runaway auto into the center divider, where it straddled the fast lane for a while at about 35 m.p.h.

“I was about two car lengths behind him and I could see that he was slumped in the seat, no hands on the wheel,” Walker said.

Others Dodge Car

As other vehicles changed lanes to dodge the runaway car, Walker maneuvered his truck ahead of it, next to the center divider, and brought it to a stop by braking his truck while the runaway car rode up against his back bumper.

Walker and two other motorists then called for medical assistance while also directing traffic around the scene. Although Sorkin was pronounced dead a short time later, CHP officials were nevertheless full of praise for Walker, saying that they could not recall a similar action by another motorist.