Motorcycle Cop Crashes during Pursuit

An East Palo Alto police officer on a motorcycle crashed into a car, sending its driver to the hospital, while pursuing a man on a moped last Monday evening in Palo Alto.

According to reports from the California Highway Patrol, the crash took place on November 5th at around 5:15 p.m. in the 300 block of Wisteria Driver near Gardenia Way, where the police officer came across a 22 year old man riding a moped violating several road rules.

“When the driver made eye contact with the officer, before the officer attempted to conduct the stop, the driver immediately began to speed up in excess of the speed limit and weave in and out of traffic, almost causing a collision,” said East Palo Alto police Chief Ron Davis. “That is when the officer activated his lights and siren and attempted to stop the moped.”

During the chase, the police officer crashed into a white Ford Taurus, sending both he and the vehicle’s driver, 32 year old James Hartley, to the hospital.

Hartley, a single father of a five year old son, was placed into a neck brace as a result of the whiplash suffered in the crash, and back pains have also appeared. It was also reported that he is struggling to cover the financial costs of the accident, as his car is undrivable, and in need of major repairs.

When interviewed, he confirmed the presence of the speeding moped rider and voiced concern about the speed the police officer was carrying. “This was in a crowded area of people, and the guy was going around 45 miles per hour in a 25 miles per hour street. There are too many kids on that street.”

At this time Hartley has not been contacted by the East Palo Alto Police Department, though the CHP is currently conducting an investigation to determine who was at fault in the crash.

To ensure victims like Hartley get the necessary help they need to recover from accidents like these, legal assistance should be sought. Through the help of a well-trained San Jose car accident lawyer, compensation can be received from those at fault to help cover the costs of these damaging accidents.

Do not let yourself become overwhelmed by medical bills and car repair payments after an accident, let us at AA Accident Attorneys get what you need today. As always, we will not charge you a thing for our legal services until your case is won. If we do not collect on your claim, you owe us nothing. Call us right away for a free evaluation and to learn what our accident lawyers can do for you!

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