CHP Officer Hurt During Traffic Stop

What began as a routine stop of a suspected drunk driver turned into a near tragedy early Sunday when a trucker fell asleep at the wheel of his big rig and plowed into a California Highway Patrol cruiser and another car, the CHP said.

Sgt. Ben Dibene had just stopped a suspected drunk driver on the Foothill Freeway about 1:45 a.m. and was returning from the suspect’s car to his cruiser when he saw the big rig bearing down on him on the right shoulder of the freeway, said Officer Doug Sweeney, a CHP spokesman.

Dibene ran behind the cruiser and tried to scramble up the embankment to escape the truck. But the errant rig slammed into the side of his patrol car, pushing the vehicle against him, Sweeney said.

Dibene, a 21-year veteran of the CHP, was treated at a nearby hospital for injuries to his leg and back and was resting at home, Sweeney said.

The truck went on to sideswipe the car of the suspected drunk driver, Amy Dyrda, 25, of Santa Clarita, Sweeney said. Dyrda was not injured, and was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, the officer said.

Charges against the trucker, Robert Bridgewater, 41, of Fontana, are pending as the investigation continues, Sweeney said. He said Bridgewater was not arrested and that investigators do not think he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The accident happened in the northbound lanes of the freeway, just west of Hubbard Street.