On Aug. 22, 2017, in Modesto, California, a police officer was hit by a car while riding his bicycle. It was later found to be a driver who was intoxicated at the time of driving. The police chief confirmed the death of the sergeant on the police department’s Facebook site.
When the emergency call came in, it was reported that there was an adult male lying in the road. Although emergency services did everything that they could and arrived at the scene quickly, there was nothing that could be done, and unfortunately, the cyclist died due to his injuries.
The driver of the car who was involved in the accident was arrested at the scene as he showed signs of intoxication. Therefore, the drunk driver was presumed to be a negligent driver and potentially the cause of the incident.
It is likely that the driver of the vehicle will face numerous felony charges. These will most likely be due to his driving under the influence, driving negligently and possibly recklessly and causing an incident that ultimately caused the death of another.
Investigators remained at the scene of the incident for many hours after the accident took place. Modesto police officers were backed up by Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies. The next steps will be to collect as much information as possible to try to determine the exact factors that went into the crash so that the official cause or causes can be determined, and so that a prosecution can take place.
Proving fault in car accidents can be a complex issue, and can be disputed no matter the circumstances.
Source: The Modesto Bee, “Off-duty Modesto Police sergeant hit, killed by drunk driver, authorities say,” John Holland, Aug. 22, 2017