Off-Duty Officer Burned in Motorcycle Accident

An off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer suffered severe burns Thursday when his motorcycle burst into flames after a collision with a van in Van Nuys.

Officer Creighton Dawson, 28, was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center and later transferred to the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital, said LAPD spokesman Jack Richter.

Dawson, an LAPD officer for three years assigned to the Valley Traffic Division, was listed in serious condition and treated for second- and third-degree burns on 30% of his body.

A Van Nuys resident, Dawson was on his motorcycle traveling south on Balboa Boulevard about 10:30 a.m. when the van’s driver made a left turn in front of him at the entrance of Balboa Park, Richter said.

LAPD Lt. Steve Allen said the impact of the collision ruptured the motorcycle’s fuel line, causing gasoline to ignite, severely burning Dawson.

Allen said witnesses stopped their cars and threw blankets over Dawson to extinguish the flames.

He sustained burns to his face, neck and extremities, according to a burn center spokesman.

Dawson is scheduled to undergo surgery to treat his wounds today.

Police did not identify the driver of the van and said the accident still is being investigated.