CHP Officer Is Hurt in Crash on Hwy. 99

A California Highway Patrol officer was in fair condition at a Roseville hospital Saturday, a day after turning his patrol car into the path of an oncoming vehicle while trying to catch a speeder.

The incident is the latest in a string of accidents and deaths involving the CHP that caused the department to declare a so-called stand down last month to allow officers to review safety procedures and receive counseling.

Officer James Malner, 41, was participating in a St. Patrick’s Day crackdown on traffic violations before 9 a.m. Friday along California 99 when a CHP plane spotted a driver speeding southbound toward his location.

Malner, who was parked on the highway shoulder heading north, made a U-turn to get behind the speeder.

But the 18-year veteran pulled out into the path of a car that struck him broadside, CHP Officer Steve Whalen said.

Motorist Dora Parra, 24, of Vina was treated for minor injuries, but Malner had to be pried from his squad car and taken by helicopter to a hospital in Chico. He was later transferred to the medical center in Roseville.

Six of the CHP’s roughly 7,200 uniformed officers have died on the job since last fall, prompting the recent two-day stand down to help officers deal with the emotional turmoil.

Two of the officers were shot to death, two were struck during traffic stops, one died when his patrol car overturned during a chase, and another was thrown from his motorcycle when it was struck from behind at a red light.