CHP Officer Dies From Crash Injuries : Accident: Bruce Hinman, who was pinned under a car that was hit by an alleged drunk driver, is taken off life support.

One week after an alleged drunk driver smashed into a stalled car that then landed on his chest, California Highway Patrol Officer Bruce Thomas Hinman died after doctors removed him from life-support machines, authorities said Wednesday.

CHP Assistant Chief Doug Orr said Hinman’s family made the decision Tuesday afternoon after doctors said there was little chance of him recovering from his injuries. CHP spokesman Dwight McDonald said charges against the alleged drunk driver, Ramiro Rodriguez, 42, whose blood-alcohol level was reportedly triple the legal limit, have been upgraded from felony drunk driving to murder.

McDonald said the atmosphere at the West Valley CHP station where Hinman worked for eight years was somber, as officers tried desperately to cope with the death of one of their own. CHP officials said Hinman was a model colleague.

“He was a very good officer, very conscientious and service-minded,” Orr said.

At about 9:45 p.m. on Sept. 26, Hinman was injured near the intersection of the California 170 and U.S. 101 freeways when Rodriguez missed a turnoff and rammed into a broken-down car Hinman was assisting. The disabled car knocked Hinman down, and one of its tires came to rest on his chest.

Hinman, who turned 35 last Thursday, lingered in a coma for more than a week at Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills before dying Tuesday about 3:20 p.m.

On the quiet Palmdale street where Hinman lived with his wife, Kimberlee, and their twin 5-year-old sons, Morgan and Mitchell, neighbors said Hinman’s vibrant presence will be missed.

“He was someone who could make you feel good just by him being around,” said next-door neighbor Karen Hall.

Hall said it was ironic that Hinman, a staunch opponent of drinking alcohol, was killed by a suspected drunk driver.

Hinman’s tight-knit family moved into their Antelope Valley neighborhood two years ago. He and Kimberlee, who are both San Fernando Valley natives, were popular centerpieces of their block, sometimes organizing block parties. One neighbor said Hinman, who also has a 9-year-old son from a previous marriage, would often come over to play video games with her husband or just to share a laugh.

“He always there when you needed him,” said Jill Fittinger. “It’s sad that he was there to help someone and someone else was not careful. Now she [Kimberlee Hinman] has two young boys that she has to raise by herself, and that’s not going to be easy.”

Orr said Hinman’s wife, who works as an administrative assistant, will receive benefits set aside for families of officers who die on the job.

Neighbors say Rodriguez, if found guilty, should have the book thrown at him.

“When you are drunk and you get into a car, then you are guilty of negligence right then,” Fittinger said. “It’s not like 20 years ago. Everybody knows it’s wrong to drink and drive.”

Hinman’s death will not prompt any changes in the way CHP officers respond to motorists on the side of the road, Orr said.

“Hinman was doing everything he was supposed to do in that situation,” Orr said. “Everything happened so quickly. He just couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. The safest place is where he was standing--in front of the car.”

Funeral services are scheduled Friday at Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch, McDonald said.