San Antonio, TX — A police officer was hit by a man authorities say may have been intoxicated at the time in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, September 20, 2014.
The officer, whose name has not been released, was at the intersection of Loop 410 and Culebra Road around 4:00 morning clearing a previous accident. He had gotten back into his car and was about to leave the scene when he was hit by another vehicle.
The collision was severe enough for the officer to be taken to University Hospital. He suffered a head injury and bruises.
The driver of the second vehicle was arrested on suspicion of DWI.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
These sorts of accidents are always sad to see. A cop’s job is hard enough already, so it’s never good when something like this is piled on top of them. In the past year my firm has been involved in several accidents where cops were hit by drunk drivers. And in one case I asked our testifying toxicologist what her thoughts were on this phenomenon, which seems to be on the rise. She explained that when a person is in a heightened state of intoxication, that they’re actually drawn toward flashing lights, so police are at a heightened risk for these types of accidents.
What does the law say about this? Well, the police officers are on the job when these accidents occur, and they’ve got a fairly decent work injury plan that’s going to help cover their medical expenses. However, depending on the officer’s injuries, there may be all sorts of things that workers’ comp won’t even begin to cover. Given the time of day in which the accident happened, it’s reasonable to assume that this driver has recently left a bar. If that’s true, then this officer would have an opportunity to pursue the bar as well, for their contribution to the accident.
— Grossman Law Offices
