A California woman has been arrested and faces up to ten years behind bars after she struck and killed a police officer who was on duty on a motorcycle. The rear-end collision between the SUV and the motorcycle caused serious injuries for the officer who was on the bike and those injuries eventually resulted in his death. Sources say that the woman is suspected of driving under the influence, perhaps having used cocaine prior to getting behind the wheel.
The officer who lost his life had spent much of his career on drunk driving enforcement, working to keep the streets safer. In fact, he had arrested over 3,000 drivers suspected of being under the influence behind the wheel, a service which police department superiors say likely saved many lives. Colleagues from the police department gathered to pay their respects to the officer this week.
The woman who was driving the car that stuck the officer has already entered a guilty plea to the felony charges and is awaiting sentencing.
Surviving family members of police officers who are killed in the line of duty typically have access to benefits through the city to compensate them somewhat for the loss of a loved one. In some cases there may be additional avenues for recovery as well in the civil litigation system. The facts of each specific case matter in making this determination, so people with questions about their rights should seek personal advice on the matter from a qualified professional in the field of personal injury law.
Source: Los Angeles Times, “LAPD motorcycle officer struck by SUV dies,” Hailey Branson-Potts and Joel Rubin, April 9, 2014.
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