2 Hurt When Truck Hits CHP Patrol Car

A California Highway Patrol officer and a dump truck driver were injured Tuesday when a second truck slammed into the officer’s parked patrol car.

Officer Dennis Yates suffered abrasions to his wrist and ankle when scaffolding being carried by the second truck fell on him, authorities said. The dump truck driver, Steven Rohletter of Sylmar, whom Yates had pulled over for a traffic citation, also incurred minor injuries.

The crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m. on the shoulder of the westbound Ronald Reagan Freeway between Stearns Street and Tapo Canyon Road, CHP Officer Kitty White said.

Yates of the CHP’s Woodland Hills station had parked his patrol car and was discussing the traffic ticket with Rohletter when the crash occurred, White said.

The driver of the passing truck, Miguel Reyes of Ontario, said he lost control of his vehicle because of a steering wheel problem, White said.

“He drifted onto the right shoulder and sideswiped the CHP patrol car and the dump truck,” White said.

The scaffolding on Reyes’ truck spilled and struck Yates, knocking him against a guardrail, White said.

Yates and Rohletter were both treated at Simi Valley Hospital, White said. The officer’s patrol car was damaged beyond repair.

No citations were issued to Reyes at the time of the accident, but the crash remains under investigation.